Contamination and Impact

Lebanon is contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), especially cluster munition remnants, as a legacy of 15 years of civil conflict, which ended in 1990, and from conflicts with Israel. The July–August 2006 conflict with Israel resulted in heavy new contamination in southern Lebanon.[1] According to the Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) conducted in 2002–2003 and revised estimates by the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC), 165km² of area was suspected to be contaminated with landmines. As of February 2010, 91km² had been cleared or otherwise released leaving 74km² of suspected mined areas.[2] This is the same figure reported in 2009, as clearance efforts focused on cluster munition contaminated areas.[3] 

Number of suspected hazardous areas as of 31 December 2009[4]

* LMAC defines a mined area as an area considered dangerous due to the presence or suspected presence of mines and a minefield is an area containing mines with or without patterns.[5] The precise distinction between the two remains unclear.

Mines

The landmine problem remains primarily in the south, along the UN-delineated Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon. There are believed to be some 375,000 mines remaining, mostly antipersonnel.[6] The mines have been laid up to about 3km inside Lebanese territory, covering an area of more than 7km².[7]

There are also minefields in Batroun, Chouf, Jbeil, and Jezzine; north of the Litani river; in the Bekaa valley; and across Mount Lebanon, left from various civil conflicts since the 1970s. Most of these areas were identified during the 2002–2003 LIS. LMAC, however, was surveying additional suspected areas that were not identified during the LIS.[8]

All known mined areas are said to be marked.[9]

Cluster munition remnants

Cluster munition contamination originates primarily from Israel’s bombing of Lebanon in July–August 2006, as well as from conflict in the 1980s.[10] As of June 2010, LMAC estimated that 23km² of contaminated areas remained.[11]

The remaining area to be cleared at the end of 2009 was approximately 23km²,[12] a significant increase from the estimated 16km² remaining at the end of 2008 and despite clearance of 4.6km² in 2009. The increase is the result of re-surveying the contaminated areas, and the transmission of Israeli data in May 2009.[13] This data indicated 282 potential strike locations that had not previously been identified, of which 166 are north of, and the other 116 south of, the Litani river.[14]

The projected end date for clearing all unexploded submunitions has been postponed on several occasions since 2006. The UN had originally indicated that all cluster munitions would be cleared by the end of 2007 but then revised the completion date to 2008.[15] In February 2010, LMAC said it planned to complete cluster munition clearance by 2011 and mine clearance by 2013, if sufficient funding was available.[16] The postponement of planned clearance completion dates was said by LMAC to be a result of the increased estimations of remaining contaminated areas, as well as inadequate funding.[17]

A study of the economic impact of cluster munition contamination in Lebanon found that two-thirds of the area affected in 2006 was agricultural, representing close to 5% of all agricultural land in southern Lebanon. It estimated current and projected losses of agricultural production would total between US$22.6 million and $26.8 million.[18]

Strike data was eventually received from the Israelis on 14 May 2009,[19] and despite its value in determining affected areas, it was criticized by LMAC for being provided too late.[20] According to the head of LMAC, if the information had been provided earlier, more lives might have been saved.[21]

Other explosive remnants of war

Isolated ERW can be found across the country, but the most affected area has been in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in the north. [22]

In May 2007, fighting between the Lebanese army and non-state armed group Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp resulted in UXO contamination and the laying of booby-traps and antivehicle mines by Fatah al-Islam. There are two areas to the camp, the middle part, and the outer perimeter, called the primes. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) cleared the primes, and Handicap International (HI) has been clearing the inner area since November 2008. It is planned that once clearance is completed, the area will be covered with one meter depth of soil, and homes for the displaced Palestinian refugee population will then be built.

As of February 2010, the middle of the camp was sealed off, and only the LAF, HI, rubble removing contractors, UN agencies, and the Department of Antiquities were allowed inside. All of the population of the camp has been displaced and the camp remained empty as of May 2010.[23]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

The Lebanese Mine Action Authority (LMAA), an interministerial body established in 1998 by the Council of Ministers, is chaired by the Minister of Defense. The LMAA is responsible for the Lebanon National Mine Action Program. LMAC, under the command of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the LAF, is the coordinating body for all mine action in Lebanon and is responsible for implementing and coordinating the mine action program.[24]

Since the beginning of 2009, LMAC has been responsible for the management of mine action throughout Lebanon. The Mine Action Coordination Center South Lebanon (MACC-SL) was handed over from the UN to the Lebanese government and became the Regional Mine Action Center (RMAC) in January 2009.[25] LMAC is supported through a UNDP Chief Technical Advisor.[26] 

The RMAC is based in Nabatiye. It was set up as planned in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support capacity-building with the UN Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC). The MoU formally ended on 13 December 2008, but UNMACC continued to provide equipment and six civilian employees for six months in 2009.[27] UNMACC is responsible for operational support to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) contribution to demining and battle area clearance.[28]

The 2008–2012 national strategy (End State Strategy) provides 12 implementation guidelines and direction for associated long-term and annual plans. It assumes with sufficient funding cluster munitions can be cleared over the next few years at which time all clearance assets can return to clearing known mined areas where they had been assigned prior to 2006.[29]  These plans will be revised at the end of 2010.[30]

The major challenge to clearance in Lebanon is said to be sustaining funding.[31]

Land Release

LMAC, through the LAF, conducts land release or cancelation by survey only of areas identified as suspected areas in the LIS. Areas contaminated with cluster munitions are not released through survey.[32] The small amount of mined area released reflects Lebanon’s national priorities since 2006. In 2009, only Mines Advisory Group (MAG) reported having mine clearance capacity among its clearance teams.[33] The decline in clearing areas affected by cluster munitions is the direct consequence of decreased funding since 2007 from international donors.[34]

Five-year summary of land release[35]

Survey in 2009

The LAF was solely responsible for surveys in 2009.[36] Demining NGOs and UNIFIL do not have formal survey capacity.[37] The area released in the table below refers to mined areas identified during the LIS.[38]

In February 2010, LMAC trained additional LAF personnel on how to conduct technical survey so that the LAF could add three technical survey teams to its existing demining capacity.[39]

Survey in 2009[40]

Mine clearance in 2009

In 2009, UNIFIL conducted mine clearance to establish a visible border between Israel and Lebanon along the Blue Line. Approximately 500 points along the border have been identified and require the erection of a Blue Barrel marker.[41] During clearance, UNIFIL cleared 119,538m², and found and destroyed 347 antipersonnel mines, five antivehicle mines, 268 items of UXO, and 539 unexploded submunitions.[42]

Minefields north of the road have been approved for clearance, and will result in clearing approximately 50,000 mines covering 1.9km² based on minefield data and maps made available by the Israeli Defense Forces in 2009. Clearing the roads will open the access road to the Blue Line, allow UNIFIL to patrol, and the Lebanese army to monitor and observe the Blue Line.[43] MAG was asked to support the project because UNIFIL does not have mechanical demining assets. Up to 20 villages will benefit from the clearance north of the Blue Line.[44]

In 2009, MAG also continued its demining activities in the Chouf mountains in Mount Lebanon district with one demining team, and cleared 15,559m².[45] Swedish Civilian Contingency Agencies (MSB), formerly Swedish Rescue Services Agency, cleared 50,038m² in 2009 before they closed their operations in September 2009.[46]

Mine clearance in 2009[47]

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas in 2009

Three international NGOs, UNIFIL, and two national demining operators cleared unexploded submunitions in 2009. As of February 2010, the combined capacity to clear unexploded submunitions was 27 teams, making a total of 276 personnel, compared with 114 teams in 2007.[48] Over the course of 2009, the total number of teams declined as funding was reduced, and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD), MSB, and BACTEC Group left the country.[49]

Some of the decrease in capacity was reversed when a national NGO, Peace Generation Organization for Demining (PGOD), was established in September 2009. It works in partnership with the Iranian organization, Immen Sazan Omran Pars (ISOP), and is funded by the government of Iran from a general fund for reconstruction in Lebanon.[50]  PGOD started with two teams, and by February 2010 had expanded to six teams with plans to further increase its capacity in 2010.[51] LMAC accredited PGOD and tasks them for clearance across all areas of south Lebanon. [52]

DanChurchAid began in 2009 with five teams, which they reduced to two by the end of the year due to lack of funding. They worked in southeast Lebanon.[53] The majority of MAG’s clearance teams conducted battle area clearance in Nabatiye district.[54] Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has four teams, one of which is all female.[55]

Clearance of cluster munitions remnants in 2009[56]

Battle area clearance in 2009

HI continued clearance operations in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in 2009. HI teams consist of “searchers,” which go through the area in 10cm sections, and then remove the rubble to another site to be crushed. As of February 2010 and since October 2008, HI had found 12,500 items, including bombs, booby-traps, mortars, grenades, and AK-47 bullets. They also found 12 antipersonnel mines on the former frontline (between Areas 0 and 1, near the north entrance of the camp), a number of booby-trapped antivehicle mines, used by Fatah al-Islam, and four large air-dropped bombs used by the LAF. The LAF provided maps to HI showing where approximately 20 bombs, of which two were 400kg and the others 250kg, had been dropped. HI has also found munition bunkers, which they handed over to the LAF for clearance. After clearance, the bunkers were buried in a landfill.[57]

HI was also conducting clearance and visual searches to support archeological teams digging in Roman ruins in the camp.[58]

Community liaison

RMAC has three military and four civilian community liaison officers, who work to collect information from impacted communities, report on incidents, and coordinate with the clearance operators.[59] 

UNIFIL has a national Community Liaison officer.[60] NGOs also have their own community liaison capacity and work closely with the LMAC community liaison teams. [61]

Quality management

NGOs have their own internal quality assurance systems, based on the International Mine Action Standards.[62] LMAC and RMAC quality assure all areas cleared by the clearance operators, and it is reported by one operator that the system works well.[63]

Quality assurance and accreditation of UNIFIL’s work is done jointly with the LAF in the UNMACC office in Naquora.[64]

Safety of demining personnel

MAG had two demining accidents in early 2009; in both cases a deminer was injured by the explosion of a submunition.[65]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

LMAC coordinates and supervises mine/ERW risk education (RE), which is conducted by national NGOs. A National Steering Committee on Mine Risk Education represents the various professional and political groups in the country, and the members work in the communities they represent. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Affairs are also members.[66] Oversight of RE is conducted by LMAC, which conducts weekly field visits,[67] and the Landmine Resource Center.[68] As a result of LMAC policy, only national NGOs conduct RE, although NPA provides financial support to national NGOs for RE.[69]

UNICEF did not support RE programs in 2009. UNICEF discontinued its support when the emergency/recovery program launched in 2006 ended in December 2008.[70]