Fouad Abou Nader

Fouad Abou Nader (فؤاد أبو ناضر) is a Lebanese Christian politician and former leader of the Lebanese Forces.

A grandson of the Kataeb Party founder Pierre Gemayel, Abou Nader became a Kataeb party activist and head of the elite Kataeb troop called the "BG" and later on head of the Lebanese Forces after the union of various Christian military groupings.

After an internal revolt in the Lebanese Forces led by Elie Hobeika and Samir Geagea against his leadership, he relinquished his power to them refusing to what he considered a fratricide venture.

Abou Nader remained active in Lebanese Forces veterans group and return briefly to the Kataeb party that was marred at the time by deep divisions between various factions of the party before leaving disenchanted.

He eventually established his own political movement, Liberty Front that he heads as general coordinator.

Nader was born in Baskinta, (Metn, Mount-Lebanon, Lebanon) on June 27, 1956, a Christian Maronite and the Son of Antoine Abou Nader and Claude Pierre Gemayel.

After attending school at Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour and Collège Mont La Salle, he joined the American University of Beirut.

He joined the Kataeb Social Democratic Party (led by his grandfather Sheikh Pierre Gemayel) in 1974.

He was an active member of both the paramilitary and the students’ organization of the party.

At Dekwaneh, he participated in his first fight against the Palestinian organizations.

When war started, he was part of the elite troop, the “BG” (or “BE GiM”), inside of the Kataeb regular forces.

When the Kataeb Regulatory Forces (KRF), the Tigers Militia (“Noumour”) from the National Liberal Party, the “Guardians of the Cedars” from the National Lebanese Movement and the “Al-Tanzim” (“the Organization”) from the Lebanese Resistance Movement united in the “Lebanese Forces” (LF), he became the head of the operations (called “Third Bureau”) of the LF.

He was seriously injured in 1975, 1976 and 1983 in fights against Palestinians and Syrians and in 1986 survived an assassination attempt and was severely wounded.

He was seriously injured in 1975, 1976, 1983 and 1986.

For the latter, he survived to an assassination attempt and was severely wounded.

In the late 1980s, he also established his own medical and paramedical engineering firm.

Because of the war, he continued his medical studies at the Université Saint-Joseph from which he graduated as a doctor in 1982.

In 1982, Bachir Gemayel, commander in chief of the LF was elected as Lebanese Republic president.

So, Fadi Frem became commander in chief and Dr Fouad Abou Nader, chief of staff of the LF.

In 1984, he was elected as commander in chief of the LF.

He was involved in almost all the battles with the Resistance against the Palestinian organizations & the Syrian army.

He became famous for his tenacious nerves, physical courage, exceptional organization and planning skills.

For his fellow fighters he was a living legend: no battle was won without him.

He was the initiator & creator of most of the LF elite troops.

After his election to the presidency, Bachir Gemayel said: “If I had to deliver a Resistance medal of honour, I would have certainly given it to the greatest fighter of our Resistance, Fouad Abou Nader.”

From 1985, an era of “intifada” (revolts) shook the “free regions” and diverted the Cause of its strategic objectives in turning into a struggle for power.

Dr Fouad Abou Nader refused the bloody logic: he did not put down the intifada led by Elie Hobeika & Dr Samir Geagea against him, “When I offer my condolences to the family of a martyr as head of the LF I feel bad even if their son was sacrificed for the noblest of causes.

What do you want me to say tomorrow to all these mothers?

How to explain the martyrdom of their children?

Just to remain in my position as head of the LF?” In 1986, he refused the tripartite agreement signed in Damascus by Elie Hobeika and became responsible for the Kataeb regional.

Then, in 1989, he refused the Taef agreement signed by Dr Georges Saade, the head of the Kataeb Social Democratic Party and approved by Dr Samir Geagea.

He supported Michel Aoun’s liberation war against the Syrian army but rejected the fratricide war between the Lebanese Army soldiers loyal to General Aoun and Geagea’s militia.

He participated to the mass demonstrations in Baabda (where is located the presidential palace) against Taef agreement and Syrian army invasion.

The internal struggles inside of the LF and the fratricide war between Aoun soldiers and Geagea militiamen were fatal - it was real self-destruction.

During Syrian occupation, he helped the student Resistance, participated to their main demonstrations and was part of the "Kataeb Opposition" led by Dr Elie Karame, former head of the Kataeb, against the pro-Syrian direction of the party led by Dr Georges Saadeh then Mounir El Hajj and Karim Pakradouni.

After Rafic Hariri assassination, he participated to the mass demonstrations in Beirut downtown for the departure of the Syrian army.

After Syrian withdrawal, he restarted his public activities in launching, with his former companions, the "Lebanese Forces Veterans Group".

He decided to return to the Kataeb in the hope of initiating the necessary changes to avoid the repetition of the mistakes of the past.

These necessary changes were: making the party more democratic to avoid fratricidal struggles for power and redefining the Cause.

Quickly, he clashed with the direction of the party who refused any change about the feudal, hereditary and therefore anti-democratic structures.