Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 10 Issue 2 The Journal of Mine Action Article 12 November 2006 Cluster Munitions and ERW in Lebanon Daniele Ressler Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU (CISR) Elizabeth Wise Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU (CISR) Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Ressler, Daniele and Wise, Elizabeth (2006) "Cluster Munitions and ERW in Lebanon," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 10 : Iss. 2 , Article 12. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol10/iss2/12 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ressler and Wise: Cluster Munitions and ERW in Lebanon unexploded cluster submunitions may be Who is Helping? against measles to 16,500 children, vaccina- on the ground.10 That, however, has not Since the conflict ended, the main goal tion against polio to more than 9,000, and stopped many Lebanese from returning to of the United Nations and other interna- vitamin-A capsules for more than 9,000.15 their homes. tional organizations is to work towards UNIFIL. The U.N. Interim Force in As soon as the ceasefire went into effect making southern Lebanon clear of cluster Lebanon has provided efforts to counter the on August 14, slightly more than half of submunitions and to provide humanitarian shortage of clean water in the south with the the 900,000 displaced Lebanese residents assistance in reconstruction and recovery. Indian and Ghanaian battalions distribut- packed up their belongings and headed UNMACC–SL and the National Demining ing 100,000 liters (26,417 gallons) to the 8 home to find access to both their houses Office are coordinating clearance efforts villages of El Khiam, At Tayyabah, Kfar Cluster munitions can be dropped from the air as seen here being and farming fields blocked by UXO, most which have so far resulted in 45,000 clus- Kila, Tibnin and Haddathah.16 UNIFIL has dropped from a B-1B Lancer, or launched from the ground as were frequently by bomblets scattered by clus- also treated people in need of medical care, most of the cluster munitions used in the 2006 conflict between ter bomblets being cleared and destroyed. Hezbollah and Israel. 11 ter bombs. According to Andy Gleeson, Clearance, explosive ordnance disposal and and the Indian battalion provided veteri- PHOTO COURTESY OF AP/U.S. AIR FORCE, HO Program Manager in Lebanon for Mines information-gathering are being carried out nary assistance to many animals.16 UNIFIL Advisory Group, residents moved back to in part by the Lebanese Army, the United is working to clear unexploded ordnance, Cluster Munitions and their villages for two reasons: Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Mines mainly cluster bomblets, and a demining 1. They wanted to assess the damage and Advisory Group, BACTEC and the Swedish team from its Chinese contingent disposed protect what remained of their prop- Rescue Services Agency.8 Lebanon is also of over 1,260 pieces in one week.16 ERW in Lebanon erty, so they lived in their front yard now food-secure and its commercial sector if required (tents were supplied). has rebounded sooner than expected.13 The Future 2. Hezbollah handed out US$15,000 World Food Programme. WFP has An estimated 12 to 15 months will be The recent 34-day conflict between the Lebanese armed faction Hezbollah and Israel from per lost house to pay for 12 months’ reached more than 700,000 people since it needed to clear the cluster bomblets from rent, after which the government paid started its emergency operation in July, tar- southern Lebanon,10 but it will take consid- US$35,000 per lost house. geting approximately 350,000 of the most erably longer for the residents of Lebanon to July 12 to August 14, 2006, saw extensive use of surface-launched munitions and air-dropped “If you are not home, you miss out [on affected people in Lebanon, the majority of return to their normal lives. Despite the dif- the payments],” said Gleeson.12 them in southern Lebanon.13 In all, WFP ficult circumstances in Lebanon, the United has distributed more than 7,250 metric Nations and other international organiza- munitions (to a lesser degree), resulting in wartime casualties for military and civilian actors in Children in Danger tons (7,991 U.S. tons) of food (an estimated tions working alongside the government of As of October 8, 2006, 770 cluster- 480,000 monthly rations) and helped the Lebanon are striving to clear the unexploded both Lebanon and Israel. Since the ceasefire agreement, international post-conflict attention bomb-strike locations had been identified in government of Lebanon import 12,300 met- cluster munitions and provide the humani- the south,10 and according to Gleeson, there ric tons (13,558 U.S. tons) of wheat during tarian assistance the Lebanese need. were 320 affected communities with each the blockade period.13 The WFP also assist- Jan Egeland, Undersecretary-General has become focused on Lebanon due to the large number of explosive remnants of war left community having around 300 to 350 items ed the United Nations in transporting relief for Humanitarian Affairs, says, “The civil- of UXO recorded, although less in some supplies such as fuel, shelter materials, water, ian population[s] in Lebanon and in north- behind after the conflict. In particular, cluster munitions are proving problematic for post-conflict areas and more in other areas.12 As of and hygiene and medical equipment.13 ern Israel have been the biggest losers in October 15, 2006, there were 20 reported UNHCR/UNMAS. The partnership be- this senseless cycle of violence. ... Civilians 1 fatalities and 120 reported injuries from all tween the United Nations High Commissioner were supposed to be spared and in this con- reconstruction activities in Lebanon due to their apparent high failure rate and the potential types of unexploded ordnance in Lebanon. for Refugees and the United Nations Mine flict; they [were] not.”17 Children accounted for four of the fatali- Action Service has focused primarily on help- For additional information on the use of threat they pose to returning civilians, aid workers and military personnel. This article examines ties and 42 of the injuries, according to ing the residents return to a safe environment. cluster munitions in the recent Israel/Hezbollah Lebanon’s National Demining Office.10 It has provided tents, blankets, mattresses, conflict, see the MAIC fact sheet on page 113. As families return home, UXO has posed plastic sheeting and cooking kits to the See Endnotes, page 110 cluster munitions and the impact of their presence in Lebanon. a major problem to children, who some- most heavily damaged villages.10 Since the times mistake unexploded bomblets for end of the conflict, UNHCR supported by Daniele Ressler and Elizabeth Wise [ Mine Action Information Center ] toys. The United Nations Mine Action UNMACC–SL with warehousing facilities Service and the United Nations High and five 4x4 trucks for rapid deployment Commissioner for Refugees have partnered of the mine-action teams in Lebanon.10 arly cluster munitions were used in World War II impact or close to the time of impact. Typically the delivery systems are designed to provide mine-awareness training for UNHCR has also been working with the and were later deployed extensively by U.S. forces to carry and deploy hundreds of submunitions at a time. Submunitions are also children from villages near Tyre, where they Lebanese government to find the best ways in Southeast Asia during the American/Vietnam called bomblets, bombies, BLUs (bomb live units) or grenades. 14 E have encountered cluster bomblets on a to repair houses. War. Millions of tons of cluster submunitions were Cluster munitions can be delivered by air or surface. Air-dropped cluster dis- daily basis. They were shown photos of UNICEF. UNICEF has supported the dropped on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam—90 million pensers (or cluster bomb units) are released or fired from airplanes, and after a the kinds of UXO scattered around National Demining Office’s Mine Risk Katie FitzGerald has worked as an on Laos alone.2 Cluster munitions were further used ex- specified amount of time or distance, the dispenser opens to allow submunitions Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Lebanon. “This training is crucial, espe- Education Steering Committee to imple- Mine Action since January 2006. She tensively during the Gulf War of 1991 (by the United to effectively cover a wide target area. With the exception of sensor-fuzed weap- cially for children who are innocent, who ment a campaign on radio and television is in her last year at James Madison States and allies), in Kosovo and Yugoslavia in 1999 ons, CBUs all fall into the “dumb bomb” or unguided category, meaning once want to play and are totally unaware that and in print media to increase civilian University where she is pursuing her (United States, United Kingdom and Netherlands), released, their trajectory cannot be controlled or re-directed.3 Surface-launched small little items can be so harmful,” says awareness—especially in children—about Bachelor of Arts in print journalism. Afghanistan in 2001–2002 (United States) and Iraq in munitions are delivered by artillery launchers on the ground that are fired over a Dalya Farran, UNMACC–SL’s Media and the dangers of UXO.