Lebanon

2008 Key Data

Ten-Year Summary

The Republic of Lebanon’s progress toward joining the Mine Ban Treaty was set back by the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon has abstained from voting on the annual pro-Mine Ban Treaty UN General Assembly resolution, but has been a regular participant in treaty-related meetings. Israel used antipersonnel mines in Lebanon prior to its May 2000 withdrawal. The UN Mine Action Coordination Centre for Southern Lebanon (MACC SL) accused Israel of using antipersonnel mines in its conflict with Hezbollah in 2006. It appears Hezbollah used antipersonnel mines in ambushes on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 2006. Fatah al-Islam used explosive booby-traps in a Palestinian refugee camp in 2007.

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 conflict with Israel. The 2006 conflict resulted in up to 500,000 unexploded submunitions being scattered across more than 1,000 cluster strike sites. At the beginning of 2009, the UN and NGOs reported major funding shortages to clear the remaining submunitions, which have resulted in closing operations and less clearance. The Lebanese National Mine Action Authority, a government body, is responsible for mine action policy. MACC SL was handed over from the UN to the Lebanese government and became the Regional Mine Action Center (RMAC) in January 2009.

From 1999 to 2008, Landmine Resource Center (LMRC) of Balamand University and MACC SL reported a total of 511 mine/ERW casualties (100 killed and 411 injured). During the same period, Landmine Monitor identified 703 mine/ERW casualties (120 killed, 567 injured, and 16 unknown). The additional casualties in the Landmine Monitor total were identified through media reports and information from the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC).

Risk education (RE) has been primarily conducted by national NGOs with support from LMRC, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), and UNICEF, and under the coordination of LMAC. It has mainly been implemented through community-based activities by volunteers, with a focus on school-based RE from 2004, as well as use of mass media. Emergency RE was delivered following the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000, the war with Israel in 2006, and the conflict in Nahr al-Bared Palestinian camp in the north.

Victim assistance services in Lebanon have grown in scope and quality since 1999. The provision of emergency healthcare, including emergency transport, and continuing healthcare have been expanded and improved. The targeting and reach of rehabilitation services have increased. Social and economic integration projects have also assisted many survivors and their families. However, the cost of services and transport, and lack of awareness of services available are barriers for survivors to access such services. Coordination, although still problematic, has improved with the establishment of the National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance, providing a platform for mostly local NGOs to share information and begin coordinated planning.

Mine Ban Policy

Lebanon has not yet acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. Positive movement toward joining the treaty in 2005 and 2006 was set back by the July–August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.^[1] Lebanon has long held the position that it is unable to join the treaty due to the continuing conflict with Israel, and the 2006 war heightened concerns about the security of its southern border.^[2] Accession is still under consideration, although regional politics and the unstable internal political situation may hinder steps forward. Lebanon’s signature of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions has given rise to hopes that it will also join the Mine Ban Treaty.

On 2 December 2008, Lebanon abstained from voting on UN General Assembly Resolution 63/42 calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it has with similar resolutions in previous years.^[3] In explaining its vote, Lebanon said it respected the treaty, but had not acceded to it due to self-defense concerns emanating from Israel’s “aggression.”^[4]

A Lebanese army representative attended the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November 2008, where he provided a statement detailing LMAC’s activities. LMAC’s director participated in the intersessional Standing Committees meetings in Geneva in May 2009, but made no statements.

Lebanon is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Lebanon signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008, but had not yet ratified it as of 1 July 2009.^[5]

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and use

In November 2004, Lebanon confirmed that it “has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines.”^[6] The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) stockpile an unknown number of antipersonnel mines. In March 2008, LMAC’s director told Landmine Monitor that the stockpile consists of a small quantity of mines, which he described as being lower than the maximum number permitted by the Mine Ban Treaty for training purposes.^[7]

MACC SL accused Israel of using antipersonnel mines during the conflict with Hezbollah in 2006, a charge Israel denied. In addition, it appears a local Hezbollah commander ordered the use of antipersonnel mines as part of ambushes on UNIFIL troops on at least two occasions in 2006.^[8]

In May and June 2007, the non-state armed group Fatah al-Islam used antivehicle mines and explosive booby-traps in the Palestinian refugee camp at Nahr al-Bared.^[9]

Scope of the Problem

Contamination

Lebanon is contaminated with mines and ERW, especially cluster munition remnants, as a legacy of 15 years of civil conflict which ended in 1990 and of conflicts with Israel. The 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel resulted in heavy new contamination in southern Lebanon with 1,073 confirmed cluster strike sites containing an estimated 500,000 unexploded submunitions as well as other types of UXO.

The estimates of the total area contaminated with cluster munition remnants have changed over the three years since August 2006. The original estimated area was 34km².^[10] In December 2008, MACC SL reported the total contaminated area to be 48km², but in May 2009 LMAC revised the figure down to 35.36km², of which 15.81km² of suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) remained to be cleared.^[11] With 45% of the SHAs cleared, some 236,000 unexploded submunitions and items of UXO had been found and destroyed as of May 2009 (see table below). In addition, 5,794 landmines were destroyed as part of the Operation Emirates Solidarity (OES) and Al Aadeisse project, which coincided with the clearance of cluster munitions.^[12]

Of the remaining land to clear, 2.5km² is within 50m of the last submunition found and 42 locations covering 200,000m² will not be cleared because the owners of the land refuse to authorize clearance.^[13] As of May 2009, 260 locations were designated as high and medium priority for clearance based on the seasonal agricultural growing cycle, as farming is the main occupation in southern Lebanon.^[14]

On 14 May 2009, UNIFIL announced that the Israeli Defense Forces had handed over technical strike data and related maps on the cluster munitions they had used in Lebanon during the 2006 conflict. Mine clearance organizations said their work had been hampered by the lack of records from Israel and welcomed the handover. Brigadier-General Mohammed Fehmi, LMAC’s director, however, told IRIN, “If the Israelis had sent those maps in 2006 when we requested them we could have saved a lot of casualties. After three years what are these maps for?”^[15]

In February 2009, countering earlier assertions by the UN that the south would be freed of contamination from cluster munition remnants, first by the end of 2007, and then by the end of 2008, Lieutenant-Colonel Hassan Fakeeh, the head of RMAC, stated that a further two years would be needed to “minimize” the problem.^[16] A UNDP job advertisement posted in July 2009 for a quality assurance (QA) officer to work with mine action personnel in Lebanon on landmine clearance claimed that the cluster munition problem would be “largely mitigated” by mid-2010.^[17] Mines Advisory Group’s (MAG) program manager for Lebanon, however, was quoted by IRIN as saying that 20 demining teams clearing 800m² per working day would take eight years to clear the remaining estimated 16km².^[18] In May 2009, because of funding constraints LMAC was planning for only 14 battle area clearance (BAC) teams across southern Lebanon (down from more than 50 in June 2008).^[19]

The landmine problem, which has been overshadowed by the 2006 conflict, was defined by the 2002–2003 Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), based on which Lebanon estimated that 150km² of land was affected by mines and UXO. In early 2009, however, LMAC increased the estimate for the total mined area to 165km². As of May 2009, 91km² had been released, leaving 74km² to be addressed.^[20] LMAC has recorded 2,314 hazardous areas in its three regional areas of operation: El Jenoub (Mount Lebanon), Jabal Lubnan, and Nabatiye.^[21]

Number of Hazardous Areas as of May 2009

By the end of 2008, there were still landmines in the south along the UN-delineated Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, and in areas north of the Litani river, in the Bekaa valley, and across Mount Lebanon. MACC SL estimated that about 375,000 landmines remained along the Blue Line and up to about 3km inside Lebanese territory, covering an area of more than 7km². It was reported that in 2008 UNIFIL cleared 14 mined areas along the Blue Line.^[22]

In May 2007, fighting between the Lebanese army and the armed Islamist group Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp resulted in UXO contamination and the laying of booby-traps by Fatah al-Islam, including antivehicle mines.^[23] In April 2008, MAG conducted a rapid risk assessment for survey teams and found that while all areas of the camp were contaminated with UXO the level of risk was highest in the center of the camp.^[24] The survey was later used by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for planning purposes. Handicap International (HI) began explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations at the surface level in October 2008 and as of 21 April 2009, HI had cleared one of the eight zones in Nahr al-Bared Old Camp and found and destroyed 6,000 items. During this period one HI employee and two members of a local NGO were injured by uncontrolled detonations; one of the local NGO staff was badly injured and neither were wearing protective equipment.^[25]

On 14 July 2009, a Hezbollah underground weapons depot in the village of Khirbet Silim, about 16km north of the Israeli border, exploded. There were no casualties. The depot was located in an abandoned building and had been guarded by Hezbollah militia.^[26] Alain Le Roy, the Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the UN Security Council in July 2009 that Hezbollah had been storing the weapons. According to Le Roy, the storage facility did not contain old ammunition reserves as Hezbollah claimed, but was instead full of weapons that were “actively maintained.”^[27] During the investigation, which uncovered three houses suspected of containing weaponry that survived the explosion, 14 UNIFIL personnel were slightly injured when clashes broke out between UNIFIL and local residents, who opposed the UN’s role in the investigation. One Lebanese soldier was reported injured by an explosive during the investigation.^[28]

Casualties^[29]

In 2008, Landmine Monitor identified at least 28 new mine/ERW casualties in Lebanon (two killed and 26 injured). LMRC recorded 20 of the casualties^[30] but noted that the data supplied for 2008 to May 2009 was incomplete, as they had not completed verifying all incidents with LMAC.^[31] MACC SL reported one clearance accident in 2008—a male Belgian UNIFIL deminer was killed by a submunition during clearance operations in Aytarun in southern Lebanon.^[32] The UN Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC) reported they could only provide Landmine Monitor with data on UNIFIL clearance accidents and not on overall casualties, due to LMAC taking over responsibility of all reporting of casualties from January 2009 onwards.^[33] Landmine Monitor analysis of media reports identified seven additional casualties.

Based on the ongoing victims’ survey (conducted by LMAC), total mine/ERW casualties between 1 January 2008 and 1 May 2009 were 54 (50 killed and 4 injured; 39 men and 15 boys). Cluster submunitions caused 36 casualties, antipersonnel mines six, antivehicle mines two, other ERW seven, and unknown devices three. The most common activity at the time of the incident was reported as agriculture (37). Nine of the casualties were clearance operators (eight civilians and one LAF member).^[34] LMAC was unable to provide calendar year data, despite repeated requests.^[35]

The number of casualties reported in 2008 is a significant decrease compared to the 130 mine/ERW casualties recorded in 2007 (37 killed and 93 injured) and the 207 casualties reported in 2006 (31 killed and 176 injured). Under-reporting is assumed for 2006 to 2008. LMRC said that its data was incomplete, due to an unfinished verification process.

Mine/ERW casualties continued in 2009, with Landmine Monitor identifying five casualties, including two people killed and three injured, as of 31 May. Landmine Monitor identified three of the casualties through analysis of media reports. LMRC reported two of the casualties.^[36] Four of the casualties were men and one was a boy. Two were injured by antipersonnel mines: submunitions caused the remaining three casualties. One civilian clearance operator was injured in January by a submunition during operations. Again, under-reporting of casualties is likely.

The total number of casualties in Lebanon is unknown. LMAC reported that from 1975 to June 2009 there were a total of 3,857 mine/ERW casualties (960 killed and 2,897 injured) in Lebanon.^[37] As of July 2009, LMRC had records on 2,720 living survivors.^[38] From 1999 to 2008, LMRC and MACC SL reported a total of 511 mine/ERW casualties (100 killed and 411 injured). Data on historical casualties supplied by LMRC to Landmine Monitor in 2009 is inconsistent with data supplied by the same organization in previous years. The discrepancies are reportedly due to the ongoing verification process.^[39] During the same 10-year period, Landmine Monitor identified 703 mine/ERW casualties (120 killed, 567 injured, and 16 unknown). The additional casualties in the Landmine Monitor total were identified through media reports and information from LMAC.^[40]

Risk profile

Southern Lebanon, Nabatiye, and west Bekaa are the main areas contaminated by mines, cluster munition remnants, and ERW, and there are also areas affected by mines in Mount Lebanon. Nahr al-Bared still has contamination inside the camp area, especially farmers and shepherds, who are compelled by economic necessity to farm or graze animals on contaminated land. Most casualties are adult males, followed by children of both genders.^[41] An assessment in 2007 found that there was a generally high level of awareness about mines and submunitions, although only half of the respondents were able to correctly describe them, or recognize a dangerous area. Almost all mined areas are marked and fenced.^[42]

Socio-economic impact

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.^[43]

MACC SL reported at the end of 2008 that largely due to the extensive clearance operations since the cease-fire in August 2006, casualty rates had dropped dramatically and that southern Lebanon had avoided a potential disaster. Still, cluster munitions and other UXO continue to pose a threat to communities and impede agriculture, the main source of income for many people in the area.^[44]

A World Bank report estimated the economic cost of cluster munitions in terms of mortality and morbidity in Lebanon ranged from $10 million to $86 million. Indirect costs include immediate and ongoing health care, the emotional and psychological impact of incidents on both victims and the victim’s family, and the impact on households from the loss of income and its effects on women and children.^[45]

Program Management and Coordination

Mine action

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.^[46] 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.^[47] The LAF implements the End-State Strategy for Mine Action in Lebanon (ESS).^[48] The ESS was designed in partnership with the Ministry of National Defense and the UNDP mine action capacity building project in 2003–2004 and contains the assumptions for mine action planning and the desired description of Lebanon at the end of clearance operations.^[49]

As planned, in January 2009 MACC SL transitioned from UN management to the newly constituted RMAC and was relocated from Tyre to Nabatiye.^[50] RMAC took responsibility for all clearance operations in the south except for those conducted by UNIFIL, whose operations are coordinated by UNMACC.^[51] MACC SL, a joint operation between the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), LMAC, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was established in 2001 and had been responsible for coordinating clearance below the Litani river; in Area 6, an area north of the Litani comprising Hasbaya and Nabatiye in Nabatiye governorate; and in Jezzine in South governorate.^[52] With the transition the LAF would continue as part of the new RMAC in Nabatiye and the remaining UNMACC staff would support UNIFIL in BAC, mine clearance, and EOD operations. The UN planned to support the transition through donations of capital, equipment, and in-kind donation of civilian staff on UN contracts through 2009.^[53]

Risk education

LMAC coordinates and supervises RE. 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 ministries of education and of social affairs are also members. There were no new members in 2008.^[54] The committee met regularly until May 2008, when the unstable political situation prevented activities from taking place. They did not resume until early 2009.^[55] Local law prevents international organizations from conducting RE in Lebanon.^[56] Oversight of RE is conducted by LMAC, which conducts weekly field visits,^[57] and LMRC.^[58]

Technical and financial support to the RE steering committee was provided by NPA and UNICEF, ^[59] while LMRC continued to provide training support and donor liaison to committee members.^[60] UNICEF provided $7,000 in funding for 2008, and was transitioning out of RE in 2009, although it planned to maintain an emergency response RE capacity.^[61] NPA contributed $76,000 to RE activities in 2008 and planned to continue RE in Lebanon until the end of 2011.^[62]

Victim assistance

LMAC took full responsibility for mine action coordination in Lebanon at the beginning of January 2009, including victim assistance (VA).^[63] The National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance offered information-sharing opportunities among operators and is coordinated and chaired by the LMAC Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) and Mine Victim Assistance Section Head. However, NGOs have criticized the committee for its lack of VA planning.^[64] Although there are positive activities for mine/ERW survivors undertaken at the local level in Lebanon, it was reported that these successes remained localized and were not translated into achievements and coordination at the national level.^[65]

Data collection and management

The Information Management section of LMAC is responsible for the management of mine action data. Its database, using IMSMA software, includes data from the 2002–2003 LIS as well as the results from the technical survey project that began in 2005 following the LIS (see Strategic mine action plan section below).^[66] RE activities are recorded in IMSMA.^[67]

LMAC is the national repository for mine/ERW casualty data in Lebanon. In 2009, steps were taken by LMAC to consolidate mine/ERW casualty data collected by various operators in Lebanon. From 1 January 2009, LMAC assumed sole responsibility for mine action activities in Lebanon, including the collation and distribution of casualty data. As such, all requests for statistical information on casualties should be directed to the LMAC IMSMA and Mine Victim Assistance Unit.^[68] Casualty data from MACC SL and LMRC from 2000 to 2009 were reportedly being consolidated into IMSMA in June 2009. However, data from casualties prior to August 2006 remained in a database managed by LMRC and Landmine Monitor was referred by LMAC to receive all data from this period from this database.^[69]

LMAC collected casualty data in 2008 and 2009 through LMAC community liaison officers, army intelligence units of each governorate, and received information through LMRC and MACC SL. LMAC regularly distributes casualty data to operators and answers requests for information.^[70] LMRC collected casualty data in 2008 through a network, covering the whole country, of trained data collectors, social workers, and university students majoring in public health.^[71] LMRC also maintained a comprehensive database of survivor information that has been used as the information base for planning VA projects.^[72]

In 2008 and into 2009, LMAC conducted phase one of a mine/ERW casualty survey. Phase one verified the IMSMA database of mine/ERW casualties that occurred from the end of the July–August 2006 conflict. The survey also aims to provide LMAC with comprehensive information (including assistance received) on each survivor in the country. Data collection for phase one was completed in July 2009 but the results were not available for this edition of Landmine Monitor. LMAC was seeking funding for two additional phases of the survey.^[73] Phase two would cover casualties from 2000 to August 2006, and phase three, casualties prior to 2000.^[74]

Mine action program operators as of May 2009

Plans

Strategic mine action plan

In 2007, Lebanon adopted a Long Term Plan for 2008–2012 to reflect the results of the 2006 conflict and clearance scheduled for 2007. A primary goal was to implement technical surveys and eliminate the impact in all high- and medium-impacted communities identified in the 2002–2003 LIS by 2011.^[75] The LIS identified 28 high-impacted communities and 164 medium-impacted.^[76] LMAC stated they have technical survey and coordination capacity to clear all high- and medium -impacted communities in five years, assuming sufficient support from donors.^[77]

The End State Strategy, which has as its goal to make Lebanon “impact free,” was established in 2004 to combine the humanitarian need to save lives and to support national development plans.^[78] It provides 12 implementation guidelines and direction for associated long-term and annual plans.^[79]

An annual RE action plan was produced for 2007–2008. It included community campaigns, media activities, training in RE, school-based RE, summer activities, and evaluations.^[80]

LMAC’s Long Term Plan, revised in 2008 and covering 2008–2012, aims to develop VA standards and guidelines, an accreditation system for members of the national steering committee, adequate coordination mechanisms to avoid duplication, a transparent monitoring and evaluation system, and a comprehensive five-year plan with indicators.^[81] LMAC is reportedly creating a monitoring system for VA projects.^[82] LMAC reported having “technical issues” in implementing the plan, resulting in cancelling or combining some programs.^[83] LMRC reported that the plan was yet to be implemented by the National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance.^[84]

Integration of mine action with reconstruction and development

The Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) is the government’s coordinating agency for development projects. UNDP and CDR jointly support the post-conflict socio-economic rehabilitation in southern Lebanon, in which mine and ERW-affected communities receive assistance in developing businesses, rebuilding infrastructure, and training of human resources.

In September 2008, MACC SL received on behalf of all humanitarian operators in Lebanon the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ annual Nansen Refugee Award, based on their contribution to the safety and security of internally displaced persons and returnees in Lebanon and the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance. In December, MACC SL used the $100,000 prize money to purchase and distribute 300 cows to seven agricultural communities in southern Lebanon.^[85]

National ownership

Commitment to mine action and victim assistance

Lebanon appears generally committed to mine action. It has adopted a national mine action policy, a five-year plan, and has taken over responsibility for coordination and management of mine action in Lebanon. The Ministry of National Defense took over responsibility for coordination of the south from the UN at the beginning of 2009.

National management

Lebanon’s program is nationally managed with continuing UN support. UNDP has supported LMAC’s institutional development through the provision of an international technical advisor and national information technology and administration staff since 2001.^[86] UNMAS managed MACC SL from 2001 until it was handed over to the government in January 2009 and converted into the RMAC. In 2009, UNMAS continued to provide technical advice to the RMAC as required through the UNMACC and in July, UNDP was recruiting a specialist in quality management to provide technical advice to the RMAC and the LMAC.^[87] UNMAS employed a transition officer from the then MACC SL to facilitate the transition to national ownership.^[88] On 11 July 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented UNMACC staff with a UN 21 award—an award that recognizes excellence in the delivery of UN organization programs and services—for its efforts in response to the 2006 conflict.^[89]

National mine action legislation

In May 2007, the National Demining Office (NDO), the body that preceded LMAC, approved the mine action policy that set the organizational structure for mine action and gave NDO the responsibility for the management of the mine action program. The policy document includes the mine action structure, authorized bodies for mine clearance operations, the creation of the International Support Group (ISG)—consisting of representatives from UNDP, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Poverty Reduction Support Grants program, ambassadors from donor countries, demining regulations, and monitoring guidelines. It also states that Lebanon aspires to join the Mine Ban Treaty.^[90]

National mine action standards/Standing operating procedures

Mine and ERW clearance is conducted according to the National Technical Standards and Guidelines (NTSG), which are said to be based on the International Mine Action Standards. Mine clearance operators are accredited based on their adherence to the NTSG.^[91] A final draft of national RE standards was being reviewed by LMAC as of May 2009.^[92] National VA standards and guidelines were developed during 2008 and 2009, under the supervision of the LMAC, with technical support from LMRC and funding from World Vision.^[93]

Program evaluations

An UNMAS review of emergency clearance coordinated by MACC SL in 2007 concluded that the overall response was rapid and effective, despite a lack of early contingency planning, and that the UN rapid response framework was well suited to large-scale, high-profile emergencies. The review identified a need to improve coordination between UN agencies with mine action responsibilities and for increased emphasis on RE, which was found to have been overwhelmed by the rush of returnees immediately after the 2006 conflict.^[94]

LMAC hired a consultant to evaluate VA in Lebanon in May 2009. The results were not available as of June 2009.^[95]

Demining and Battle Area Clearance

Summary of cluster munition remnants problem as of May 2009

With support from UNDP and UNMAS, Lebanon has made significant progress in clearing mined and battle areas following armed conflicts since 1975. Prior to the 2002–2003 LIS that serves as the baseline for the landmine problem in Lebanon, the Lebanese Armed Forces cleared 20km² of land, destroying in the process 40,000 antipersonnel mines, 5,500 antivehicle mines, and 60,000 items of UXO from 1990–2003. Considerable mine and unexploded submunition contamination remains, however, with earlier predictions that clearance of cluster munition remnants would already have been completed proving ill-founded.

Resources for clearing submunitions reduced significantly in 2008, as a result of funding constraints, and LMAC projected further decreases in 2009. At the end of 2008, HI closed its operations due to a lack of funding.^[96] BACTEC followed in March 2009, also due to a lack of funding.^[97] The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) closed its program at the end of 2008, but returned in April 2009 with new funding from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for four months to resume clearing submunitions.^[98] However, at the end of July FSD left again due to lack of funding.^[99] It was also reported that the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) was running short of funds and might have to close its operations by September 2009.^[100]

Battle area clearance in 2008

In December 2008, MACC SL reported that 42.5km² of the 48.1km² of battle areas in southern Lebanon had been cleared including 10km² in 2008.^[101] On 14 May 2009, LMAC revised the contaminated area down to 35.4km² and claimed that 15.9km² remained to clear. LMAC estimated that approximately 10% of the remaining area requires sub-surface clearance. They also reported a considerably higher number of cluster munition remnants than those previously reported by MACC SL, particularly in the number of munitions found by the LAF.^[102]

Number and type of item found during clearance of cluster submunitions as of May 2009

In 2008, mine clearance consisted of clearing 119,918,000m².^[103] All mine clearance activities were suspended in July 2006 in response to the priority in locating cluster munition strikes and clearing submunitions.^[104] MAG reported that it restarted its mine clearance operation in May 2007 with one technical survey team and two mine detection dog teams, in Mtolle, in the Chouf Mountains in central Lebanon with funding provided by the United Kingdom and in 2008 cleared 47,729m². From January to June 2009, MAG cleared another 14,675m². During clearance operations nine Israeli No. 4 mines were found.^[105]

BACTEC cleared more than 70,000m² in the Al Aadeisse mined areas, adjacent to the Blue Line, from July–September 2008, and destroyed 4,569 mines in the process. Al Aadeisse is considered cleared. It was also reported that UNIFIL cleared 14 mined areas adjacent to the Blue Line.^[106]

In October 2008, HI began EOD operations to remove 500,000m3 of rubble in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp at the surface level under a contract with UNRWA that runs until March 2010.^[107] Four teams work in conjunction with a rubble removal contractor to clear Nahr al-Bared Old Camp and adjacent areas of explosive ordnance. The project includes the provision of UXO awareness briefings to all UN staff, contractors, camp residents, and others authorized to enter the camp. As of 21 April 2009, HI had cleared one of the eight zones in the Old Camp and found and destroyed 6,000 items. LMAC is responsible for external QA and issues completion reports before the area is handed over to UNRWA for planning the return of people displaced from the camp and supporting humanitarian relief and development projects.^[108]

Operation Emirates Solidarity project

When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000 it left behind some 400,000 landmines. The UAE has supported clearance in this area since 2001 through the OES project. In 2005, five of the six areas had been cleared and, after the 2006 conflict, the UAE continued the project.^[109] The clearance of Area 6, the last remaining area, was completed in March 2008. A total of 648,442m² was cleared.^[110]

Quality assurance/Quality control

Each organization has its own internal quality management system. External quality control is conducted by LMAC or RMAC depending on the area of operation.^[111] QA is conducted during clearance operations as well as after they are completed, based on the Standing Operating Procedures for Quality Control. Two major factors considered in the sampling size are the level of accreditation of the demining operator and how the land will be used after clearance is completed.

Summary of Clearance from 1999–2008^[112]

N/A = not available

Risk Education

RE activities are conducted by national NGOs.^[113] Activities included presentations to farmers and their families and RE by school students, including plays.^[114] RE activities covered all contaminated areas in Lebanon, including north of the Litani river.^[115] All communities in the south received RE, and the majority of communities in the rest of the country although to a lesser degree, as these were of lower priority.^[116] RE was also delivered to Palestinians and Lebanese in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.^[117]

RE was delivered by the following members of the steering committee: Al-Jarha Association for the War Wounded and Disabled in Lebanon (Al-Jarha Association), Islamic Risala Scouts Association, Lebanese Welfare Association for the Handicapped (LWAH), Vision Association, Welfare Association for the Handicapped in Nabatiye, the Islamic Health Council, and Lebanese Association for Health and Social Care. The military also delivered RE through LMAC. In addition, INTERSOS and World Vision contributed to RE.^[118]

Approximately 425,000 people received RE in 2008 in Nabatiye, Tyre, Bint Jbeil, Hasbaya, Rashia, and West Bekaa. This figure consists of beneficiaries of community-based activities, including people who attended a large exhibition organized by Al-Jarha Association in August 2008, and school students: 69,492 of these beneficiaries were reached by LMAC.^[119] New groups provided with training by LMRC included social workers in the south, and youth activists in an NGO that was to start RE in 2008. ^[120] Awareness messages were also delivered through the media. The army distributed flyers at military checkpoints.^[121]

LMRC worked on integrating RE messages into the school curriculum and conducted training of teachers^[122] with the support of UNICEF and NPA.^[123] By 2010, RE is expected to be part of the school curriculum, and will consist of RE sessions for about five to six hours a year.^[124] Materials were developed but not printed. In October 2008 five training courses with teachers to test RE messages took place. Refresher training that had been planned was postponed.^[125]

LMAC has community liaison officers in the south regional office (RMAC). In addition, clearance organizations have a community liaison capacity, and the members of the RE steering committee also provided information on contamination to LMAC.^[126]

A needs assessment conducted by LMRC with UNICEF found that communities have sufficient knowledge about risks but adoption of safe behavior was “limited.”^[127] According to UNICEF, RE has been effective, as evidenced by a consistent decrease in the number of casualties, but it needs to be institutionalized (such as through the education curriculum) and awareness techniques could be revamped.^[128]

RE activities in Lebanon were severely hampered by political insecurity and violence in May 2008, which prevented the implementation of many of the recommendations made in the assessment.^[129] These were: development of measurable objectives; improvement of communication skills; introduction of participatory techniques; and revision of RE materials. The problem of conflicting messages being given by UNIFIL reported last year was resolved, and UNIFIL only conducted limited RE in their areas of operation.^[130]

Over the last 10 years RE has been conducted primarily by national NGOs working firstly with the mine awareness committee established at Balamand University by LMRC from 1999 to 2001, then through the National Mine Risk Education Committee headed by LMAC (until 2007, the NDO). The military delivered RE in the early stages, and emergency RE following the 2006 war, but from 2004 their role was primarily in coordination, monitoring, and supervision. Community liaison has been conducted by LMRC, MACC SL, and mine clearance operators. Training support for RE was provided by LMRC, with technical and financial support by UNICEF and NPA, and by the ICRC for the Lebanese Red Cross.

RE has primarily been focused on the south, particularly when emergency RE was required after the May 2000 withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon, resulting in the return of civilians to former military areas, and after the July–August 2006 war when the south became heavily contaminated with cluster munitions and other UXO affecting around 150 communities.^[131] In 2003, RE also started to be conducted in Mount Lebanon and Batroun, and in 2004 in other parts of the north. Emergency RE was also provided following the May 2007 crisis in Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in the north.

Methods of delivering RE include community meetings, lectures, workshops, discussion sessions, distribution of materials, and the use of mass media. Since 2004, school-based RE in mine-affected areas received strong emphasis. RE has been primarily delivered through NGO volunteers who receive a stipend for travel. By 2004 there were 250 volunteers, increasing to 318 in 2006. RE reached 500,000 beneficiaries from mid-2002 to mid-2003, and one million from mid-2003 to mid-2004. Needs assessments have been conducted region by region, prior to implementation.^[132]

An UNMAS/UNIFIL evaluation in February 2002 and a Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining evaluation in March 2002 emphasized the need to stop producing awareness literature and introduce more interactive and participatory RE. The 2002–2003 LIS found people had been exposed to RE, and in January 2004 a UNICEF external evaluation found that people remembered messages and methods and found them appropriate, but called for RE to be more focused on schools through trained teachers.

Victim Assistance

The total number of mine/ERW survivors in Lebanon is unknown, but is at least 2,720.^[133] There are reportedly adequate human resources and medical facilities to meet the needs of mine/ERW survivors in Lebanon but the cost of treatment and the location of facilities remained a barrier for some. Both private and government emergency medical facilities were reportedly within a 30-minute drive from all communities in mine/ERW-affected areas.^[134] But not all hospitals in these areas were sufficiently equipped to provide survivors with adequate medical care.^[135]

The cost of services remained prohibitively high for many. The Ministry of Public Health provides free medical care for all mine/ERW victims who are Lebanese citizens. However, it was reported that when medical costs become too expensive, financial support However, it was reported that when medical expenses for some services become too high, the Ministry can decide to not pay for the service.^[136] Holders of disability pension cards are eligible for free health care at government medical centers. But, in some cases, the benefits do not cover any or all of the costs.^[137] Non-Lebanese nationals are not eligible for government support.^[138] Government services for mine/ERW survivors have also been criticized for not treating cases holistically, with little to no coordination across the range of services required by a mine/ERW survivor, from physical rehabilitation to economic and social reintegration.^[139]

There are a variety of programs and initiatives for persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors in Lebanon, although the sector continued to rely heavily on international funding. A peak in international support for mine action followed the 2006 conflict, but this funding had significantly decreased by the end of 2008. LMAC reported that inequalities in the distribution of services prevented Lebanon from meeting the needs of all survivors, although sufficient national capacity exists.^[140] NGOs involved in VA reported a significant decrease in international funding for VA in 2008, resulting in a reduction of the number and scope of programs.^[141] The majority of government funds for mine action were allocated to clearance; only a small amount of funding went to VA.^[142]

The ministries of social affairs and public health manage physical therapy services. More than 100 health centers throughout Lebanon provided physiotherapy services. A number of NGOs also provided comprehensive physical rehabilitation for mine/ERW survivors, including the distribution of assistive devices.^[143] However, rehabilitation services were reportedly concentrated in major towns and lacking in the most economically disadvantaged, mine/ERW-affected areas.^[144]

Limited psychological support was available through the Ministry of Social Affairs and some NGOs, although it was often expensive and consequently unaffordable for some survivors.^[145]

Numerous NGOs coordinated economic integration projects in 2008, including vocational training and income-generating projects. Yet unemployment among persons with disabilities remained high, reportedly due to discrimination from employers.^[146] Many income-generating projects were destroyed in the conflict in 2006, and have yet to be re-established.^[147] The UNDP National Human Development Report for Lebanon for 2008–2009 reported that in Lebanon “being disabled increases the likelihood of poverty.”^[148] More than 41% of people with a disability live on less than the country’s average monthly wage, 38% are illiterate, and 69% do not have health insurance.^[149] Only 5% complete secondary school and only 3% graduate from university. UNDP reported this was mainly due to the failure to integrate students with disabilities into mainstream schools.^[150]

In 2008, a network of disability organizations advocated for implementation of the disability legislation passed by the Lebanese government in 2000. An implementing decree had been drafted by the government but had not passed as of June 2009. On the 14 June 2007, Lebanon signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, but as of 29 June 2009 had not ratified either instrument.

Victim assistance activities

The members of the National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance run the majority of programs assisting mine/ERW survivors. Due to the large number of NGOs working with mine/ERW survivors in Lebanon this report may be incomplete and only organizations that provided information to Landmine Monitor have been included.^[151]

NPA financially supports VA projects implemented by local NGO members of the VA steering committee. NPA is the only organization in the VA National Committee that funds VA projects and in 2008 in provided $185,000 to VA activities. NPA also provides technical support to local NGOs to implement VA activities. Direct support to victims is only provided in special cases. Many of the activities mentioned by the local NGOs are supported by NPA.^[152]

NPA’s program aims to enhance the participation of mine/ERW survivors in society and increase the application of laws and policies concerning the rights of persons with disabilities. Through its partners it provided: artificial limbs and mobility devices to 160 survivors, funding to cover full medical costs for 18 survivors, income-generating projects for 20 survivors, and funding to cover educational costs for 12 survivors. NPA also supported sporting activities to enhance the social status of survivors, involving 15 survivors. In west Bekaa, 130 mine survivors have had access to a newly adapted center.^[153]

The Lebanese Welfare Association for the Handicapped provided services to 536 mine/ERW survivors (including 22 new survivors) in 2008. Services included: assisting 126 survivors with continuing medical care, providing 20 with prosthetics and devices, three with physical rehabilitation, 163 with psychological support (predominantly through peer support), 12 with social and sporting activities, 19 with economic integration and education support, 105 with non-medical aid, and 139 home visits.^[154]

Al-Jarha Association worked with some 300 mine/ERW survivors and their families in 2008.^[155] They provided social assistance, continuing medical care, physical rehabilitation and provision of artificial limbs, economic programs, and vocational and life-skills training. Funding came from local donations and NPA. There was an increase of the numbers of survivors who participated in vocational training in 2008 compared to previous years. Al-Jarha Association reported that a key challenge was a lack of sufficient funding to meet survivors’ needs.^[156]

The World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) in 2008 provided technical and material assistance to the Jezzine Landmine Survivor Development Cooperative. The cooperative governs and organizes the business activities of its members. In 2008, the cooperative moved towards financial and organizational autonomy with the gradual transfer of assets and operational functions to members from WRF. In 2008, 173 mine/ERW survivors received material and/or capacity-building support through WRF, including 10 people who were injured by mines/ERW in 2008.^[157]

In 2008, World Vision Lebanon involved 47 mine/ERW survivors in an income-generating project and assisted child mine/ERW survivors through a summer camp. They also implemented an awareness campaign targeting 10,000 people in southern Lebanon, to break down negative stereotypes of mine/ERW survivors and encourage the government to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions. World Vision concluded its VA program in February 2009.^[158]

In February 2008, LMRC concluded a project with the Islamic Risala Scouts Association, funded by Austcare, which provided 15 survivors with computer training and English language classes. LMRC promoted mental health sessions with psychologists for mine/ERW survivors in 2008, working directly and indirectly with 450 survivors.^[159]

The Swiss Foundation for Demining (FSD) covered the cost of continuing medical care for 24 mine/ERW survivors in 2008, psychological support to three survivors, economic assistance to three, and education support for two. The organization reported that a decrease in international funding had reduced the scope of their VA projects significantly.^[160]

INTERSOS facilitated economic assistance to survivors and their families from 2006 to March 2008. There are no plans to re-establish the VA component of their mine action program.^[161]

Support for Mine Action

Landmine Monitor is not aware of comprehensive long-term cost estimates for meeting mine action needs (including RE and VA) in Lebanon. The Long Term Plan 2008–2012 for mine action, however, provides a detailed resource mobilization strategy for the five-year period, and highlights the resource mobilization strategy as one of two principle elements for achieving its overall mine action goals, along with yearly Integrated Work Plans (IWPs).^[162] The priorities of the Long Term Plan—national technical survey; capacity building and maintenance; mine action coordination; VA; and RE—are to be fulfilled through the annual workplans based on available resources for each year.^[163]

In July 2008, MACC SL reported a cost estimate for 2008 of $10.77 million (approximately €7.31 million) to cover operational expenses and “achieve key clearance objectives” of cluster munition strike areas in southern Lebanon, ending the need for large-scale international financial assistance to related programs.^[164]

MACC SL costs were covered largely by UNIFIL’s peacekeeping assessed budget, UNMAS Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance (UNVTF), UN Trust Fund for Human Security, UN Rapid Respond Plan contributions, the UAE OES project, and bilateral funding.^[165]

National support for mine action

There is no national budget for mine action in Lebanon. Mine action costs are covered at the national level through the LAF budget. LMAC reported mine action funding by the government of Lebanon totaling $5.5 million (approximately €3.7 million) in 2008. Overall national support included administrative support to LMAC and the LAF engineering regiment, other logistical support, provision of personnel, coordination support, and inter-ministerial support to the Lebanon National Mine Action Program.^[166] Lebanon reported $5.5 million in national funding in 2007.

International cooperation and assistance

In 2008, 15 countries and the European Commission (EC) reported providing $27,768,535 (€18,856,808) to mine action in Lebanon. Reported international mine action funding in 2008 was approximately 2% less than reported in 2007. As of November 2008, Lebanon cited overall resource mobilization and competition with other regional mine action programs as reasons for a funding shortfall and to weak support to victim assistance.^[167] MACC SL reported funding shortages resulted in the closure of two of seven NGO demining programs in the last quarter of 2008.^[168] The number of active clearance teams operating in southern Lebanon reportedly fell from 44 to 29 in 2008 and LMAC projected in May 2009 that by October there would be only 14 BAC teams.^[169]

2008 International Mine Action Funding to Lebanon: Monetary^[170]

2008 International Mine Action Support to Lebanon: In-Kind^[171]

Funding by Saudi Arabia was reported by the Embassies of Saudi Arabia in Beirut and Washington as two separate contributions, one of $500,000 and the other of $1 million.^[172]

In addition to the in-kind assistance noted above, Switzerland provided EOD systems to LMAC; New Zealand contributed 10 mine clearance personnel to MACC SL/RMAC, and Portugal provided technical assistance in mine detection and clearance to UNIFIL.^[173]

In October 2008, the US announced a contribution of $825,000 to MACC-SL/RMAC to support mine/UXO clearance.^[174] In April 2009, the US reported that it would contribute an additional $1.5 million to MAG for clearance in Lebanon, and a further $1.7 million was approved for MAG in July 2009 to continue funding 10 clearance teams in the south.^[175] As well in 2009, the US contributed $59,049 to the Marshall Legacy Institute to replace retiring mine detection dogs, and $1,591,672 went to DynCorp to continue to develop the LMAC, integrate all humanitarian mine action aspects, complete technical survey and establish QA/quality control.^[176]