Friday, September 10, 2010 - Our Third Day - "If it's Friday, it must be -- well, Baalbek!

Today was strictly a tourist day.  We had no official mine action activities.  We began the day with a trip of about 2 hours northeast of Beirut to Baalbek, home to the most impressive ancient site in Lebanon and arguably the most important Roman site in the Middle East.

The site was originally Phoenician and settlement here is thought to have dated back as early as the end of the 3^rd millennium B.C.  The Phoenicians built a temple on the site in the 1^st millennium B.C. and dedicated the temple to the god Baal, from which the city takes its name.  The site was chosen for its nearby springs and because it was located at the crossroads of the main east-west and north-south trade routes.

Following the conquest of Alexander the Great, Baalbek became known as Heliopolis (City of the Sun), a name that was retained by subsequent Roman conquerors.  The city became an official part of the Roman empire in 64 B.C.  The Romans began construction of a series of temples in approximately 27 B.C.  The first to be built was the massive Temple of Jupiter, which took nearly 120 years to complete and underwent elaborate enlargements soon thereafter.  The Temple of Jupiter and the Temple of Bacchus (the god of wine) followed.  Construction on the site ceased around 310 A.D., when Rome’s rulers adopted Christianity.

It would be difficult to underestimate the impressive nature of these ruins.  Photos alone do not do it justice.

When we left Baalbek, we headed back to the south and Beirut, with a couple of stops along the way.  The first was the Ksara Winery, Lebanon’s oldest and most famous winery, which, originally, was the site of a medieval fortress.  A unique aspect of this winery is its extremely spacious underground caves, where the wine matures.

The caves were first discovered in Roman times and were expanded during World War I.  There are now nearly 2 kilometers of tunnels, where the temperature stays between 11C and 13C throughout the year – ideal for wine.

We took a very quick tour of the caves and then sat down to sample some of the winery’s products – four different types of wine and a bit of brandy.

After indulging ourselves, we headed for the village of Aanjar, which is a mere 5 kilometers from the Syrian border.  Also referred to as Haouch Moussa (Farm of Moses), Aanjar is a small, predominantly Armenian town founded by refugees who fled Turkey and the “Great Calamity” of 1915, which is said to have claimed the lives of over a million Armenians.

Aanjar’s most remarkable feature is the Umayyad ruins, dating back to the rule of the sixth Umayyad Caliph, Walid I, in the Eighth Century.  Its discovery came about almost by accident when, in the late 1940s, archaeologists were digging here in the hope of discovering the ancient city of Chalcis, founded around 1000 B.C.  Instead, they uncovered a walled town with a Roman layout that dated from the first century of Islam.  This is what gives the site great historical significance. 

The ancient Umayyad settlement was inhabited for only about 50 years, before its complete destruction when the Abbasids, a rival sect, overthrew the Umayyad dynasty,

Another terrific and enjoyable day in Lebanon, topped off by an evening of fireworks celebrating the festival marking the end of Ramadan.

The Temple of Baachus, God of Wine, at the ancient ruins of Baalbek, Lebanon

Columns of Jupiter's Temple at the ancient ruins of Baalbek, Lebanon

The group, fashionably attired in protective gear, listens to an explanation of mine clearance techniques.

Thursday, September 9, 2010 - Second Day of Mine Action Activities

Thursday, September 9, 2010 - Second Day of Mine Action Activities

Our day began with a visit to the Lebanon Mine Action Center, which is headed by Brigadier General Mohammad Fehmi.  After a cordial meet and greet session, Brigadier General Fehmi and his staff presented a comprehensive brief on the landmine and cluster munitions challenge in Lebanon, with cluster munitions constituting the more serious threat, particularly in southern Lebanon.

Brigadier General Fehmi also presented a dramatic and compelling video highlighting the impact of the 2006 conflict with Israel, after which hundreds of thousands of unexploded cluster munitions – some estimate the number at more than one million -- littered the land.

The conflict dealt a severe blow to Lebanon’s economy.  It affected every aspect of the country’s resources and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of citizens.  The post-conflict reconstruction of Lebanon continues to depend on the development of basic services such as water, health, education and agricultural production.

As a result of the contamination, the risk to Lebanon’s population increased significantly.  This risk affects economic growth and limits the capacity to increase agricultural output and rebuild vital infrastructure.  Additionally, the availability of safe land to rebuild villages and homes is severely limited, and the activities of relief and development agencies working to rehabilitate the affected regions are impeded.

Since 2006, there have been 386 landmine/UXO casualties in Lebanon, 46 of which were fatalities.  Cluster munitions, as opposed to landmines and other unexploded ordnance, caused a large majority of these casualties.

Since 1975, there have been a total of 3,868 landmine/UXO casualties.  Of that number, 963 have been fatalities.

Brigadier General Fehmi praised the work that has been done in his country over the years, particularly the clearance efforts of the Lebanon army.  He clearly believes that Lebanon has the skills and experience necessary to allow Lebanon to become “free” from the impact of landmines and UXO by 2014.  LMAC’s greatest challenge, he said, is funding.  Without sufficient funds, the target of 2014 is in jeopardy.

After our visit with Brigadier General Fehmi and his staff, the group traveled to Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, to visit the operational headquarters of MAG Lebanon.  There, we benefitted from a briefing by MAG’s interim Country Manager, Llewelyn Jones.  MAG expanded its existing operations in late 2006/early 2007 and, at one time, employed over 400 staff.

MAG has 10 Battle Area Clearance teams, demining teams, two mechanical teams, and three community liaison teams.

After the briefing, we headed to a demonstration by MAG clearance teams. The group donned protective gear to get a sense of what deminers (or mine clearance technicians) had to deal with when undergoing the tedious and dangerous process of mine/UXO detection and clearance.  With gear still on, the group observed the work of these extraordinary individuals, who put themselves at risk so that others might live.  Hats off to them and others like them around the globe.

When we completed our visit with MAG Lebanon, we traveled to the coastal city of Tyre, which traces its routes to the third millennium BC.  We visited Roman and Byzantine ruins before returning to our hotel in Beirut.

Our day ended with a fantastic dining experience at the Restaurant Babel, an event hosted by Jennifer Lachman, MAG America’s Executive Director.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 - First Day of Mine Action Activities

Today the group met with Cedra, our tour guide, and Jamal, our bus driver.  Llewelyn Jones, the Interim Country Program Manger for MAG, joined us.  The group met with Habbouba Aoun, Director of the Landmine Resource Center, which is located at St. George Hospital on the campus of the University of Balamand.  The LMRC advocates the prevention, rehabilitation and social reintegration of both direct and indirect survivors of incidents involving land mines and/or unexploded ordnance.

The socio-economic impact of the landmine and UXO problem in Lebanon is huge.  Landmines, cluster munitions, UXO, and booby-traps have mainly been planted in areas where agriculture was a mainstay of the economy.

Habbouba is considered a trailblazer in helping to change the mindset of the international community to focus on the need for long-term rehabilitation and reintegration as opposed to immediate short-term remedial treatment programs.

In 1998, the LMRC undertook a nation-wide door-to-door survey of landmine victims in Lebanon that assessed the landmine problem and was crucial in the development of well-structured mine risk education programs that, over the past decade, has led to an appreciable decline in the number of landmine/UXO incidents – from more than 7 per month to approximately 1.5 per month.

The LMRC uses various interventions to raise the level of awareness on the risk of land mines and unexploded ordnance.  Some initiatives are community-based; others rely on school curricula. Each of these, along with other interventions, have had the desired effect – incidents are decreasing.

About half way through our meeting, Dr. Nadim Karam, the Vice President for Health Affairs and Community Development at the University of Balamand, joined us.  Dr. Karam, who oversees the Landmine Resource Center,  made a compelling case for long-term rehabilitation of war victims, including landmine/UXO survivors and their families.  The rehabilitation of such individuals requires time, money and patience.  He stressed the importance of instilling confidence in survivors and bringing them from a disadvantaged state to a “zero state.” Only then can such individuals become an asset to society, as opposed to a perceived liability.

Dr. Karam and Habbouba left the group with one plea:  funding for mine risk education has decreased to very low levels.  It seems, Dr. Karam said, that mine action is no longer fashionable.

Regrettably, the group’s scheduled meeting with Nabih Berry, the Speaker of Lebanon’s Chamber of Deputies, was cancelled due to the demands of his position.  Later in the day, however, the Americans in our group had the pleasure of meeting with U.S. Embassy staffers Rob McCutcheon, a Political Officer and Dave Howe, a Political-Military Affairs Officer.  The two provided an excellent brief on the geopolitical state of affairs in Lebanon and the Mid-East region as a whole.  

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.