Marada Brigade1780228635709542006-07-13T09:07:19Z211.30.226.218The Marada Brigade was a MaroniteChristian faction in the Lebanese civil war. The Marada Brigade was named after the legendary Marada warriors of the early Middle Ages. At its height it had about 5,000 members[1]. The Marada Brigade was the personal militia of Suleiman Franjieh, president of Lebanon at the outbreak of the war. They were also known as the "Zgharta Liberation Army" after Franjieh's home town of Zgharta.
During the Lebanese civil war, Zgharta being the frontline and christian stronghold of the north, it was the frontline in the war for northern Lebanon as the Zgharta-based Marada Brigade militia successfully repulsed and responded with attacks on Muslim and PLO militias from neighboring Tripoli.
They were initially allied with the Kataeb but in 1978 the year when Suleiman Franjieh's son Tony Frangieh was killed, Franjieh became firmly pro-Syrian and stopped attending meetings with the Lebanese Front. In 1978 at 4am the Kataeb, launched a surprise attack on Tony's summer mansion and attempted to capture Ehden. 35 men, women and children were killed randomly when seen on the streets. About 10 Kataeb members were killed in the attack. The Marada commander, Suleiman Franjieh's son Tony, was also killed. Samir Geagea was seriously wounded in the attack. Kataeb members Elie Hobeika and Samir Geagea denied taking part in the killing. Bashir Gemayel was believed to have ordered the attack, he also denied being responsible for the killing. Many class their actions as "backstabbing"
The attack in Ehden began the break up of the united Maronite militias known as the Lebanese Front.
Suleiman Frangieh swore revenge for the death of his son and his family. In 1979 Bashir Gemayel's daughter and bodyguards were killed in a car bomb and later in 1982 Bashir himself was killed in a huge explosion. The degree of involvement by Marada operatives is unclear.
With Bashir Gemayel and Elie Hoebeika killed, these actions taken against the Marada still haunt Samir Geagea and his followers to this day. Many class their actions as "backstabbing"
The murder of Tony Frangieh was one of the factors which many commentators blame for the longevity of Lebanon's war and was the start of strong division between Christians. Recently, there has been great popular support for renewed Maronite solidarity which existed before 1978.
After the assassination of Tony Franjieh, the Lebanese Forces failed to absorb the Marada Brigade and it remained intact. It has many supporters to this day, and although not a formal militia, the Marada Brigade exists as the personal force of Tony Franjieh's son Sleiman, their za'im or leader. Sleiman Franjieh is a close personal friend of Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad and a strong advocate of Syria. He was serving as Interior Minister, one of the most powerful positions in the Lebanese government, when Rafiq al-Hariri was assassinated on 14 February, 2005.
