Cluster munitions, land mines in Lebanon
Some four thousand people in Lebanon have been either killed or maimed since the Israeli aggressions began against the country in the 1970s and some 400 since the end of the 2006 summer war.
Lebanon was subject to over four million cluster munitions used by Israel during the 2006 summer war. Some five years on the war around 30 percent of Lebanese land remains contaminated as a result of Israel using sub-munitions which covered vast areas thereby effecting civilian life. This devastating truth has made Lebanon a forerunner in the action plan to eradicate the use of cluster munitions or land mines.
Lebanon hosted the second conference of State Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions as part of a global campaign to make sure that the ban on land mines and cluster munitions becomes a binding international law. It has also called on the United Nations to ask Israel to give in the maps of areas in which it planted land mines; however Israel has refused to do so.
Still there are many areas where Israel haphazardly threw cluster munitions. Many Lebanese and international organizations have worked on uncovering these areas and demining and some volunteers have lost their lives as a result. There are also many awareness campaigns to teach people about cluster munitions and land mines and not to enter areas that are unknown to them especially in the South and Bekaa villages.
In this week's INFocus we will interview with victims and their families, and members of organizations which continue to give assistance in the demining action.