The Landmines Resource Center for Lebanon

Mine Action in Lebanon
Facts Sheet

• Unstructured mine action in Lebanon started in 1996 as a local effort initiated and supported by the World Rehabilitation Fund in partnership with the Ministry of Health and local non-governmental organizations.

• In 1998, the Lebanese government established the National Demining Office at the Lebanese Army (Government decision: April 29, 1998).

• In 1998, the World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) launched its landmine project covering four pillars of Mine Action: Mine Action Information, Mine Awareness, Victims’ Assistance, and Support to Mine Clearance Initiatives of the Lebanese Army.

• Since the beginning of the WRF project, non-governmental organizations and the Landmines Resource Center at the University of Balamand coordinated very well mine related activities in the country in collaboration with the National Demining Office of the Lebanese Army.

• LMRC established a dynamic victims’ database that includes detailed information about the landmine victims all over the country and a database about the landmine problem in the South and West Bekaa that includes detailed information about the 196 most severely mine-affected villages in the liberated areas of the South and West Bekaa.

• Surveys conducted by the LMRC showed that:

o There are 2758 landmine victims in Lebanon including 1168 deaths and 1590 survivors.

o There are 1375 landmine victims in the South and Nabatieh including 720 deaths and 655 survivors.

o Fifty percent of the landmine survivors in Lebanon were amputated, seven percent were paralyzed, 18 percent suffered from major injuries in the head and other parts of the body, 18 percent suffered from minor injuries and 7 percent had burns and other injuries.

o Fifty-six percent of the landmine survivors in Lebanon were injured by a landmine, 37 percent were injured by unexploded ordnance or cluster bomb and seven percent have touched a strange object.

o Forty-one percent of the landmine survivors in Lebanon were injured while engaged in their daily agricultural activities. 40 percent reported to be injured while crossing demarcation lines or during wartime. Nineteen percent were injured while engaged in recreational activities.

o The average age of the landmine survivors in Lebanon was 35 years where the majority of the interviewed survivors belonged to the age group (30-40).

o The majority of the landmine survivors in Lebanon were males (90 percent), 63 percent of them were married and were responsible for at least four dependents.

o Fifty-seven percent of the landmine survivors in Lebanon were working. The average monthly family income of 56 percent of the survivors is less than 300 US Dollars.

o Thirty-one percent of the landmine survivors in Lebanon were illiterate or could barely read and write. Twenty-seven percent of them had reached the elementary level of education.

o One hundred and ninety-six villages in the South and West Bekaa were found to be mine affected. Thirty-seven percent of those villages had access to safe water, eight percent had accessible roads, 51 percent had educational facilities, and 38 percent had at least one health care facility.

o War and landmines led to a noticed decrease in agricultural production: the decrease in olive and olive oil production was 50 percent, in fruit trees was 78 percent, in protected agriculture was 94 percent and in field agriculture was 80 percent.

o There are 1388 identified mined areas in Lebanon, of which 1019 are still not cleared.

• Mine awareness education was launched all over the country and mine awareness material were produced (posters, booklets, leaflets, songs,..)

• Local capacity building started in many areas including the North, Mount Lebanon, Bekaa and the South.

• In May 2000, the liberation of the South and West Bekaa took place.

• Starting May 2000, UNICEF became involved in mine action providing support to awareness and related community activities in South Lebanon and West Bekaa.

• Starting June 2000, other UN agencies intervened: UNMAS and UNIFIL established a mine-action-coordination-cell (MACC) in the South; MACC started operating the IMSMA. UNDP assigned a mine advisor to the National Demining office of the Lebanese Army. UNESCO supported some mine awareness activities in the public schools of the liberated South.

• Between May 2000 and May 2001, the demand of communities for mine action increased. Response was limited by scarce funds.

• Between May 2000 and May 2001, many missions and representatives of donor countries visited Lebanon. Donations towards providing the Lebanese Army with necessary demining equipments were made. However, needs in training and equipment are still not met.

• Starting August 2000, Swedish Save the Children started a child-to-child project on mine awareness in Bint Jbeil.

• Starting December 2000, the Mine Advisory Group (MAG) launched a demining project in Nabatieh area. The project was suspended in August 2001.

• A "Level One Impact Survey of Lebanon" sponsored by EU is planned to start before the end of 2001.

• Starting January 2001, the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) started a victims’ assistance program in South and West Bekaa.

• Between May 2000 and May 2001, the National Demining Office of the Lebanese Army and the non-governmental and community-based organizations were trying to plan and implement mine awareness interventions.

• Starting January 2001, local actors in Mine Action including non-governmental and community-based organizations are lacking funds and important programs are frozen.

• The World Rehabilitation Fund is starting an income-generating program to landmine victims in Jezzine, South Lebanon.

1 Landmine Monitor Report, 1999.

2 Declaration of the UNIFIL-Ukrainian Contingent to France Press on July 19, 2000

3 Interview of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Cell in Naqoura with the Daily Star newspaper (Reporter: Nicholas Blandford) on January 18, 2001

4 UNDP study of the South, 1999

5 March 14 and April 18 Committee of the Lebanese Council of Deputies, March 14, 2001

6 March 14 and April 18 Committee of the Lebanese Council of Deputies, March 14, 2001

7 March 14 and April 18 Committee of the Lebanese Council of Deputies, March 14, 2001

8 Interview of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Cell in Naqoura with the Daily Star newspaper (Reporter: Nicholas Blandford) on January 18, 2001

9 Community meetings in Houla-Bint Jbeil, Ibl Essaqi- Marjeyou, Kfartebnit-Nabatieh, April 11, 2001

10 In 1998, USAID was the first donor agency to initiate a program on landmines in Lebanon, at the governmental and non-governmental levels.