Fifty-one years since the outbreak of the 1975-90 war, Lebanon continues to grapple with unresolved legacies of conflict, including transitional justice, truth and reconciliation, and collective healing, particularly for the families of the missing and forcibly disappeared.

In the decades since the end of the war, the country has made some progress on this issue, such as the establishment of the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared. Yet, significant institutional, legal, and political challenges remain, compounded by limited public awareness, fragmented knowledge, and fading memories.

It is in this context that the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) is launching a series of papers addressing the issue of the missing and forcibly disappeared, focusing on themes related to “Dealing with the Past.” Through this endeavor, LCPS aims to inform policymakers, raise awareness, and advance practical solutions, with a particular emphasis on conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and social justice.

In this installment of the Dealing with the Past series, Wadad Halwani reflects on the enduring tragedy of Lebanon’s missing and disappeared from the 1975–1990 war. She details the collective struggle of families to demand truth despite state neglect and post-war policies that prioritized amnesty over justice. Tracing decades of activism that eventually led to the establishment of the Independent National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared, Halwani underscores that uncovering the fate of the missing remains a vital moral and political imperative for Lebanon.