Contaminated by: landmines (heavy contamination), cluster munition remnants (medium contamination), and other unexploded ordnance (UXO). 

Article 4 deadline: 1 May 2021
(Not on track to meet deadline)

Non-signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty

As of the end of 2015, the Republic of Lebanon had 29km² of confirmed mined area, across 1,463 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs), in addition to more than 5.25km² of mined area along the Blue Line.[1] Almost 0.92km² was cleared, no land was released through survey in 2015. 

As of the end of 2015, 773 areas were confirmed to contain cluster munition remnants, totaling more than 16.3 km² across four provinces. During 2015, 13 new areas were discovered. In 2015, 1.69km² of cluster munition-contaminated land was cleared, and 3,329 submunitions destroyed.

A further 8.8km² is suspected to contain either cluster munition remnants or mines.

Recommendations for action 

• Where possible, non-technical survey (NTS) and technical survey should be used to more accurately define areas of actual contamination, factoring in the required fadeout distance, especially with respect to militia minefields in northern Lebanon. This would also help more accurately establish a national baseline of mine contamination.
• The Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) should improve its land release system to accord with international standards. Improvements should be reflected in the revised National Mine Action Standards (NMAS), and all mine action stakeholders should be consulted before their finalization. As part of this process, LMAC should consider the views of humanitarian demining operators on issues such as the specified clearance depth and fadeout.
• Where appropriate, LMAC should use demining machinery and mine detection dogs (MDDs) as primary as well as secondary clearance assets.
• LMAC should cross-check information entered into the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database, to ensure mine contamination and land release data are being assessed and recorded accurately.
• The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) should explore the possibility of resuming humanitarian demining operations.
• LMAC should more accurately determine the baseline contamination from cluster munition remnants.
• Newly discovered cluster strikes should not automatically be recorded in the LMAC database as covering 33,000m². Instead, a more accurate assessment of the size of each contaminated area should be determined through non-technical and technical survey.
• Lebanon should mobilize the necessary resources to finish cluster munition clearance as soon as possible, but not later than 1 May 2021.

Contamination

Lebanon is contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), largely a legacy of 15 years of earlier civil conflict and Israeli invasions of southern Lebanon (in 1978 and 1982) and subsequent occupations that ended in May 2000. Cluster munition contamination is mainly the result of the conflict with Israel from July–August 2006, although some remnants are from conflicts in the 1980s.[2]

Mine contamination

As of the end of 2015, Lebanon had 29km² of confirmed mined area, across 1,463 CHAs, as set out in the table below, in addition to more than 5.25km² of mined area divided into 626 “tasks” along the Blue Line.[3]

A further 178 “dangerous areas” totaling 8.8km² were suspected to contain either cluster munition remnants or mines.[4] An additional 93 dangerous areas totaling almost 2.9km² were suspected to contain booby-traps, some of which fall under the Mine Ban Treaty definition of an antipersonnel mine.[5] The designated “dangerous areas” are mainly the result of accidents having been reported to LMAC by the local community, and for which further investigation and/or survey is needed to confirm the type and extent of contamination.[6]

Contamination by province as at end 2015[7]

Note: * In addition, 5,251,007m² of mined area exists along the Blue Line.

The 29km² of contamination, excluding the Blue Line, represents an increase in overall baseline contamination over the 28.2km² of contaminated area as of the end of 2014. The difference in total mine contamination has not been explained.

Mines affect the north and south of the country, though the majority are in the south. The minefields in northern Lebanon and Mount Lebanon are typically “militia” minefields (i.e. were laid without a pattern and for which minefield maps do not exist), and were laid by multiple actors during the civil war. The minefields in the south are typically conventional minefields, where the location of the mines is identified on minefield maps.[8]

Mines hinder socio-economic development, restricting access to land and productive resources. Most contamination is on valuable agriculture land.[9] According to LMAC, mines along the Blue Line negatively affect more than 200,000 people.[10] It has been reported that people are crossing the Blue Line to harvest olive groves and graze livestock.[11]

Cluster munition contamination 

At the end of 2015, Lebanon had 773 areas confirmed to contain cluster munition remnants, totaling more than 16.3km².[12] Four regions still contain cluster munition contamination, as set out in the table below. This compares to 799 areas confirmed or suspected to contain cluster munition remnants, totaling 17.85km², as at the end of 2014, although the figure should have been 16.1km² as the 1.7km² of land canceled in 2014 was not entered into the database until 2015.[13] During 2015, 13 new cluster munition-contaminated areas were discovered, totaling 429,000m².[14]

As indicated above, a further 178 “dangerous areas” totaling 8.82km² are suspected to contain either cluster munition remnants or mine contamination,[15] a figure unchanged since the end of 2014.[16] The designated “dangerous areas” are mainly the result of accidents having been reported to LMAC by the local community, and for which further investigation/survey is required in order to confirm the type and extent of suspected contamination.[17]

The difference in total cluster munition contamination between the end of 2014 and end of 2015 cannot be explained solely by taking into account the area canceled by NTS, released by clearance, and discovered to be contaminated (but previously unrecorded) during 2015. This is because many of the cluster munition clearance tasks conducted in 2015 proved to be greater in size than the area recorded in the database, thereby impacting the baseline contamination area.[18]

Cluster munition contamination of the end of 2015[19]

During the 2006 conflict, Israel fired an estimated four million submunitions on south Lebanon.[20] In 2016, LMAC stated original contamination had been more than 60km², with almost 44km² having been cleared to date, leaving 16.3km² of contamination to release at the beginning of 2016.[21] In addition, some cluster munition remnants still remain from earlier conflicts with Israel in 1978 and 1982.[22] The baseline estimate of overall contamination has continuously been revised, as previously unrecorded contamination continues to be discovered.

New cluster munition areas are automatically assigned a size of 33,000m² by LMAC. However, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) have calculated the size of the average cluster munition area to be larger, at around 60,000-65,000m².[23]

Additional cluster munition remnants may also exist in the Blue Line minefields in the far south of Lebanon, along the border with Israel.[24] Since late 2015, permission has been granted for clearance to be undertaken of some of the Blue Line minefields. Only when clearance begins will the extent to which these mined areas are also contaminated with cluster munition remnants be revealed.[25]

Following clearance, around 85% of land has been used for socio-economic purposes, such as by farmers to generate a source of income.[26] Cluster munition remnants continue to affect the agricultural community, particularly in Beqaa and south Lebanon. MAG’s survey in 2014 found that in four-fifths of the contaminated areas surveyed, contamination had made access to resources unsafe or had blocked access altogether. Nonetheless, it found that many landowners and workers still enter cluster munition-contaminated areas, declaring that they have no choice.[27]

In 2015, 12 people were injured and one person killed by cluster munition remnants[28] (see Casualties and Victim Assistance profile).

Other ERW 

Lebanon is also contaminated by other UXO and booby-traps.

Program Management 

The Lebanon Mine Action Authority (LMAA) has overall responsibility for Lebanon’s mine action program. It is part of the Ministry of Defense and is chaired by the minister himself. In 2007, a national mine action policy outlined the structure, roles, and responsibilities within the program, and LMAC was tasked to execute and coordinate the program on behalf of the LMAA.[29] LMAC also manages risk education and victim assistance.[30]

LMAC, part of the Lebanese armed forces (LAF),[31] is based in Beirut. Since 2009, the Regional Mine Action Center (RMAC), based in Nabatiye, has overseen operations in south Lebanon and western Beqaa.[32] The Director of LMAC is typically rotated every couple of years, and in recent years there has been a high turnover of RMAC Directors. In south Lebanon, coordination meetings between RMAC and operators take place at least once a month.[33]

A donor support group meeting is convened annually, which brings together donors, operators, and the national authorities.[34] UN Development Programme (UNDP) personnel, funded by the European Union (EU), are also seconded to LMAC and RMAC, providing support towards capacity building, including transparency reporting, strategic reviews, and database entry.[35]

In 2015, the Ministry of Defense, represented by LMAC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) to manage and coordinate the Arabic Outreach Programme for Mine Action. Planning, management, and coordination of the program are due to be handed over to LMAC by the end of 2017, and LMAC, through the Regional School for Humanitarian Demining in Lebanon (RSHDL), will serve as a regional center for the program’s activities.[36]

Strategic planning 

In September 2011, LMAC adopted a strategic mine action plan for 2011–2020.[37] The plan called for clearance of all cluster munition remnants by 2016, and for completion of mine clearance outside the Blue Line by 2020. Both goals are dependent on capacity, and progress has fallen well short of planning targets.[38]

A first mid-term review to the strategy was conducted in January–March 2014 to assess progress towards the 2013 milestone. The review found that in 2011–2013 mine and cluster munition clearance was slow, suffering from underfunding and fewer operating teams than foreseen, while previously unrecorded contaminated areas were identified.[39] It also concluded that with existing capacity it will not be possible to finish cluster munition clearance before 2020 at the earliest.[40] A second mid-term assessment was being undertaken in 2016, with the results due to be published in 2017.[41] 

Demining along the border with Israel was said to depend on “political developments.”[42] Subsequently, in 2016, LMAC reported that the Lebanese government had taken the decision to initiate clearance on the Blue Line.[43]

Lebanon has set three levels of priority regarding mine action. The first is to address infrastructure to allow those displaced by the 2006 conflict to return home; the second is to release agricultural land; and the third is to release land for activities other than agriculture. The first priority goal was met in 2009, and clearance of agricultural areas and development areas are now the priority targets.[44]

Operators 

In 2015, the LAF and international operators DanChurchAid (DCA) and MAG conducted clearance of both landmines and cluster munition remnants.[45] International operator, Handicap International (HI), conducted mine clearance only. International operator, NPA, and national operator, Peace Generation Organization for Demining (POD), conducted clearance of cluster munition remnants only.

The NGO capacity to tackle landmines was a total of nine mine clearance teams.[46] In 2015, MAG deployed two teams in support of manual clearance.[47] HI deployed three manual clearance teams at the beginning of 2015, then added a fourth in March, bringing the total to four teams of seven deminers each, all working in northern Lebanon.[48] HI’s mine clearance operations in northern Lebanon and the Mount Lebanon area are determined by seasonal factors: clearance of minefields below 1,000 meters occurs during winter (October to April), and then clearance of tasks above 1,000 meters begins in April and continues through the summer, depending on snow.[49] DCA conducted mine clearance on Mount Lebanon.[50]

In 2015, MAG deployed five battle area clearance (BAC) clearance teams, down from six teams in 2014. NPA deployed seven teams in 2015.[51] POD had between seven and 10 teams in 2015.[52] DCA had three BAC teams operating in south Lebanon.[53]

In addition, MAG deployed eight machines for BAC and mine clearance. It is the only international operator in Lebanon with mechanical assets to support manual clearance operations, and these assets can be used by other organizations upon request of LMAC.[54] 

In 2015, the capacity of the Lebanese armed forces’ Engineering Regiment (for combined mine and cluster munition remnants operations) comprised two sampling teams, three NTS teams, two mine clearance teams, two BAC teams, four mechanical demining teams, and eight mine detection dog (MDD) teams, in addition to the operations and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) staff who manage and monitor clearance activities.[55]

UNIFIL was established in 1978[56] to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon (which occurred in 2000); restore international peace and security; and assist the government of Lebanon to re-establish its authority in the area.[57] The primary task of UNIFIL mine clearance teams has been to clear access lanes through minefields in order to visibly demarcate the 118km-long Blue Line. UNIFIL does not generally conduct clearance on the Blue Line for humanitarian purposes but only to facilitate placement of markers by clearing three-meter-wide lanes into mined areas.[58] The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continues to engage with UNIFIL regarding the possibility of UNIFIL reengaging in humanitarian mine action, but as of September 2016, this had not yet occurred.[59] A total of 134 demining personnel were validated by UNMAS Lebanon during 2015, which consisted of two rotations of the UNIFIL troop contributing countries (TCCs). One mechanical team was deployed, by the Cambodian Field Engineering Platoon.[60]

At the beginning of 2015, operational assets were provided by two UNIFIL TCCs: Cambodia and China. These assets comprised five manual clearance teams, one mechanical clearance team, and one explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team. UNIFIL expected to maintain that capacity throughout 2016.[61] This represents a decrease in capacity compared to the 306 demining personnel validated by the UN Mine Action Support Team during 2014, when operational assets consisted of 10 demining teams.[62]

UNMAS Lebanon, a project of UNMAS, trains UNIFIL demining units and monitors and validates UNIFIL mine clearance along the Blue Line to ensure compliance with IMAS. UNMAS Lebanon operating funds come from UNIFIL’s assessed peacekeeping budget.[63]

Standards

LMAC has been working with the UNDP and other partners to revise the NMAS.[64] LMAC originally expected to finish the revision of the NMAS by the end of 2015,[65] but as of September 2016, the revision was still being finalized, before official approval from the Ministry of Defense.[66] Clearance operators have been consulted and have submitted recommendations for the NMAS revision.[67]

Land Release (Mines) 

Total mined area released by clearance in 2015 was almost 0.92km², compared with 1.28km² in 2014. No land was reported to have been reduced by technical survey or canceled by NTS.

Survey in 2015 (mines) 

No survey was reported as having been conducted in 2015. In 2014, 0.81km² of suspected hazardous area (SHA) was canceled by NTS.

Clearance in 2015 (mines) 

LMAC reported clearance of almost 0.92km² in 2015, across 37 mined areas, with the destruction of 601 antipersonnel mines, 61 antivehicle mines, and 72 items of UXO (see table below). This is a decrease compared to the 1.28km² cleared in 2014.

Mine clearance in 2015[68]

Note: AP = antipersonnel; AV = antivehicle.

UNIFIL reported destruction of 46 antipersonnel mines during their 2015 operations on the Blue Line.[69]

According to LMAC, mine clearance focuses on CHAs, and most of the tasks assigned for clearance were found to have mines.[70] However, mines were only found in one of the five areas cleared by MAG in 2015, with only UXO found in a second area, but no contamination of any kind in the remaining three.[71] HI reported that 20% of the overall mined area it cleared did not contain mines.[72] While some clearance task areas do not contain any contamination, others require clearance of a much larger area than recorded in the IMSMA database. HI reported that in 2015 it cleared over 60% more area than the CHA outlined in the task dossiers received from LMAC.[73] In addition, the CHAs tasked by LMAC to clearance operators do not include obligatory fadeout distances, which can considerably increase the overall size of the task.[74]

Land Release (Cluster Munition Remnants) 

The total amount of cluster munition-contaminated areas released by clearance in 2015 was just under 1.69km², compared to 2.1km² in 2014.[75] 

No area was reported as reduced by technical survey in 2015. In 2015, 92,614m² was reported as having been canceled through NTS.[76] Thirteen previously unrecorded areas were identified as cluster munition contaminated.[77] 

There are discrepancies between the survey and clearance data provided by LMAC, operators, and Lebanon’s Convention on Cluster Munition Article 7 transparency report for 2015, which are described below.

Survey in 2015 (cluster munition remnants)

LMAC did not report any cancelation of land in 2015. However, Lebanon’s Article 7 report recorded the cancelation of 17 areas through NTS totaling 92,614m².[78] This compared to 51 areas totaling 1.7km² canceled in 2014, following MAG’s pre-clearance NTS project.[79]

In 2015, LMAC confirmed 13 previously unrecorded areas as contaminated by cluster munition remnants. They were each allocated a standardized 33,000m² per hazardous area, totaling 429,000m².[80] New cluster munition-contaminated areas are typically the result of call-outs from the public, alerting LMAC to previously undiscovered ERW. LMAC community liaison officers visit each call-out, followed by LMAC’s chief of operations when necessary. New hazardous areas are recorded for those call-outs where cluster munition contamination is confirmed.[81] 

Clearance in 2015 (cluster munition remnants)

LMAC reported the release of 1.69km² of cluster munition-contaminated land by clearance in 2015, in the process destroying 3,329 submunitions (see table below).

Manual clearance is the primary method of clearing cluster munition remnants in Lebanon, but machines are sometimes deployed to make access lanes and remove rubble.[82]

Clearance of cluster munition-contaminated area in 2015[83]

Note: APM = antipersonnel mines; AVM = antivehicle mines; * Includes include items destroyed during rapid response call-outs.[84] 

Clearance data provided by LMAC was inconsistent with that provided by MAG and NPA. MAG reported clearing 15 areas in 2015 totaling 1,120,324m², destroying 317 submunitions and 21 items of UXO. NPA reported clearing 12 areas totaling 570,605m², and destroying 275 submunitions and 58 items of UXO.

The clearance figures reported in the table above also vary from those reported in Lebanon’s Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report for 2015, which stated that 1,637,492m² was cleared in 2015, and a further 189,649m² re-cleared.[85] The number of submunitions reportedly destroyed also differs, according to the Article 7 report it was 3,289. This inconsistency in the data is said to be because the Article 7 report does not include clearance data from the Engineering Regiment of the Lebanese armed forces.[86]

Progress towards completion of antipersonnel mine clearance 

Clearance of mined areas was expected to be completed by the end of 2020, in accordance with the 2011–2020 national strategy.[87] Meeting this target, though, depends on deployment of considerable resources: an estimated 125 manual clearance teams, two mechanical teams, and nine two-strong MDD teams.[88] Current mine clearance capacity is far lower. Lebanon has cleared 3.81km² of mined area in the last five years, as detailed in the table below.

Mine clearance in 2011–2015[89]

Lebanon was conducting a second mid-term review in 2016 and will update findings accordingly in 2017.[90]

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 Compliance

Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lebanon is required to destroy all cluster munition remnants in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 May 2021. Lebanon is not on track to meet this deadline.

The director of LMAC asserts that Lebanon is committed to completion of cluster munition clearance by 2020, if clearance capacity does not decrease.[91] However, fewer BAC teams, the discovery of previously unrecorded cluster munition-contaminated areas, and the impact of working in difficult terrain, have all been identified as obstacles to meeting this deadline.[92]

A review of the 2011–2020 strategy in early 2014 confirmed that with existing capacity it will not be possible to finish cluster munition clearance before 2020 at the earliest.[93] 

Lebanon’s most recent Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report (for 2015) estimates that 40 BAC teams would be needed in order to complete cluster munition clearance by 2020.[94] This equates to an additional 15–19 BAC teams that would be required, based on capacity as of the end of 2015.[95] A more accurate estimate of the required capacity should be made during the second mid-term assessment of the strategic plan that is currently under way.[96]

Annual clearance of cluster munition-contaminated land has decreased over the last four years, as illustrated in the table below.

Five-year summary of clearance[97]

The Monitor gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review supported and published by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), which conducted mine action research in 2016 and shared it with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.