SUMMARY

Amal (Afwâj al-Muqâwmat al-Lubnâniyya: Lebanese Resistance Detachment) was one of the two big Shiite militias in Lebanon in the late 1980s. The group was deeply rooted in the southern parts of Lebanon. Founded by Sayyid Musa al-Sadr in the early 1970s, Amal was, for a long time, the main Shiite political organisation in Lebanon. When al-Sadr disappeared in 1978 there was a turning point in the mobilisation of Shia Muslims in Lebanon. First of all Amal lost what Islamist character they previously had, which opened up for more radical groups like Hezbollah (Party of God), a breakaway faction of Amal that grew stronger in the mid-1980s.

Following the disappearance, and presumed death, of Amal’s original leader al-Sadr, the organisation was headed by Nabih Berri. In 1984 Amal was allied, though not a member of, the broad coalition of the National Democratic Front. In the following years the Lebanese army broke up along communal lines. In this fighting Amal had a close connection with the Sixth Brigade of the Lebanese army, which, at times, even took orders from Amal.

Amal has been involved in the intra-state and non-state categories of UCDP organised violence.