Lebanon’s mine problem is largely a legacy of 15 years of civil conflict and conflicts with Israel.

 

At the end of 2017, the Republic of Lebanon had over 20 km2 of confirmed mined areas, and 17.2 km2 of confirmed territories affected by cluster munitions. More than 15 km2 are additionally suspected to contain mines, booby-traps, cluster munition remnants, or other UXO contamination.

 

Over 750 villages are still affected, and the lives of more than one million people threatened. Those villages are mostly located in rural areas, where communities depend on agriculture. Contamination has made access to resources unsafe or has blocked access altogether. Nonetheless, many landowners and workers still enter cluster munition-contaminated areas, declaring they have no alternative.

 

The influx of well over 1.5 million refugees from Syria has led to a huge increase in population density in Lebanon. Many contaminated areas are inhabited by Syrian refugees and/or are used for agricultural activities, increasing the exposure of civilians to risk and causing an increase in the number of casualties.

 

In total, there have been 3 799 reported casualties of mines or other explosive remnants of war in Lebanon, of which 907 people were killed