The Landmine Problem in Lebanon

The information in this section was gleaned from the Landmine Monitor Report.

Lebanon is contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance, 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.

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 mines and UXO affected 150km² of land. In early 2009, however, The Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) increased the estimate for the total mined area to 165km². As of May 2009, 91km² had been released, leaving 74km² to be addressed.  LMAC has recorded 2,314 hazardous areas in its three regional areas of operation: El Jenoub (Mount Lebanon), Jabal Lubnan, and Nabatiye.

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. The Mine Action Center for Southern 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.

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 anti-vehicle mines. 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. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) later used the survey for planning purposes. Handicap International (HI) began explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations at the surface level in October 2008.

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/UXO casualties (960 killed and 2,897 injured) in Lebanon. As of July 2009, the Landmine Resource Center (LMRC) recorded 2,720 living survivors.  From 1999 to 2008, LMRC and MACC SL reported a total of 511 mine/UXO casualties (100 killed and 411 injured).

Southern Lebanon, Nabatiye, and west Bekaa are the main areas contaminated by mines, cluster munition remnants, and UXO, 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.