Union of Working People's Forces

Union of Working People's Forces
General Secretary	Kamal Chatila
Founded	1965
Ideology	Nasserism
Political position	Left-wing
Politics of Lebanon Political parties Elections

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 (UTPF), was a Nasserist political party in Lebanon which played a key role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990).

Origins

The party was founded in 1965 by Kamal Chatila and Najah Wakim,[1] with Chatila being its general secretary.[2][3] In ideological terms, the UNWPF 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

Victory Divisions فرقة النصر
Leaders	Kamal Chatila
Dates of operation	1975 - Unknown
Active regions	Beirut, Nabatieh, Kfar Remen, Habboûch
Part of	Lebanese National Movement Front of Patriotic and National Parties
Allies	Syrian Army Amal Movement Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
Opponents	Lebanese Front Lebanese Army Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) Al-Mourabitoun Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Battles and wars	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, and also maintained military training bases in Nabatieh, Kfar Remen and Habboûch, and received significant support from both the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities.[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), formed in October 1974 and led by Issam Al-Arab.[5][8][9]

See also

• Al-Mourabitoun
• Battle of the Hotels
• Front of Patriotic and National Parties
• Lebanese Civil War
• Lebanese Front
• Lebanese National Movement
• List of weapons of the Lebanese Civil War
• People's Movement (Lebanon)

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.

Bibliography

• Alain Menargues, Les Secrets de la guerre du Liban: Du coup d'état de Béchir Gémayel aux massacres des camps palestiniens, Albin Michel, Paris 2004. ISBN 978-2226121271 (in French)
• Edgar O'Ballance, Civil War in Lebanon, 1975-92, Palgrave Macmillan, London 1998. ISBN 0-333-72975-7
• Itamar Rabinovich, The war for Lebanon, 1970-1985, Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London 1989 (revised edition). ISBN 978-0-8014-9313-3, 0-8014-9313-7 – [1]
• Marius Deeb, The Lebanese Civil War, Praeger Publishers Inc., New York 1980. ISBN 978-0030397011
• Thomas Collelo (ed.), Lebanon: a country study, Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA Pam 550–24), Washington D.C., December 1987 (Third edition 1989). – [2]