Union of Working People's Forces

The Union of Working People's Forces – UWPF (Arabic: اتحاد قوى الشعب العامل‎ | Ittihâd qiwâ al-'amal al-cha'b al-'âmil), also known as Union of Toiling Peoples' Forces or Union des Forces du Peuple Travailleur (UFPT) in French, was a Nasserist political party in Lebanon which played a key role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

Union of Working People's Forces
General SecretaryKamal Chatila
Founded1965
IdeologyNasserism

Origins

The party was founded in 1965 by Kamal Chatila and Najah Wakim.[1] Chatila was the general secretary of the party.[2][3] The party represented a right-wing tendency in the Lebanese Nasserist movement.[4]

Najah Wakim was elected to parliament in 1972, making him the sole Nasserist deputy.[5]

The UWPF in the Lebanese Civil War

In the early phase of the Lebanese Civil War the UWPF maintained a 1,000-man strong militia, the Victory Divisions (Arabic: Firqat an-Nasr), which fought alongside the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) militias in the Beirut area.[5][6] However, in late March 1976 the UWPF left the LNM to enter the pro-Syrian Front of Patriotic and National Parties (FPNP) alliance, and supported the June 1976 Syrian intervention in Lebanon,[3] which caused a rift between them and the other Nasserist groups.[5] From June to November 1976 the UWPF and its militia faced onslaughts by Fatah and the other LNM militias.[7]

There was also a splinter group of the party, the Union of Working People's Forces-Corrective Movement (UWPF-CM) led by Issam Al-Arab.[5][8][9]

See also

References
  1. Franck Mermier; Sabrina Mervin (2012). Leaders et partisans au Liban. KARTHALA Editions. p. 170. ISBN 978-2-8111-0595-2.
  2. Revue du Liban et de l'Orient arabe (1054–1061 ed.). February 1980. p. 5.
  3. Lucien Bitterlin (1988). La flamme et le soufre. VegaPress. p. 139. ISBN 978-2-906480-04-9.
  4. Travaux et Jours (46-49 ed.). Centre culturel universitaire. 1973. p. 7.
  5. The War for Lebanon, 1970-1985. Cornell University Press. 1985. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-8014-9313-7.
  6. LEBANON A COUNTRY STUDY. 1989. p. 243.
  7. Les Crises du Liban, 1958-1982: chronologie commentée. Documentation française. 1982. p. 36.
  8. Maghreb, Machrek. Fondation nationale des sciences politiques, Centre d'étude des relations internationales, Section monde arabe. 1975. p. 317.
  9. Alain Ménargues (2004). Les secrets de la guerre au Liban: du coup d'Etat de Bachir Gémayel aux massacres des camps palestiniens. Albin Michel. p. 33. ISBN 978-2-226-12127-1.
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