Civil War Enemies, Geagea and Frangieh Reconcile After 40 Years

Christian rivals from the Lebanese civil war, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, shook hands on Wednesday, marking a formal reconciliation to end more than four decades of enmity.

Geagea and Frangieh have been foes since the early days of the 1975-1990 civil war.

The two parties had armed militias during the conflict that battled against each other. The war, which drew in regional powers, included fighting between the country’s main sects and rival factions within those sects.

The men, both Maronite Christians, met to reconcile at the seat of the sect’s Patriarch Bechara Rahi in Bkerke, north of Beirut. They shook hands with Rahi and then with each other after several failed reconciliation attempts over the years.

Geagea has been accused of leading a raid in 1978 on the home of Frangieh’s father, Tony Franjieh, a rival Maronite Christian chieftain, who was killed with his wife, daughter and others. Geagea has said he was wounded before reaching Frangieh’s house, and did not take part himself.

Tony Frangieh, Sleiman’s son, said the reconciliation was a good thing for all Lebanese and was not connected to any presidential aims.

“We are looking forward to the future by achieving this reconciliation,” he said.