عربي  (Arabic)

IMPACT

• More than 1 million explosive remnants of war (ERW) and approximately 54 tonnes of small arms ammunition have been cleared in Libya since 2011.

• Since 2016, almost 100,000 explosive items have been destroyed or safely stored through Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) spot tasks and more than 323,600 people received Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), including 214,142 children and 109,458 adults, to help them live more safely with the threat of ERW. In addition, UNMAS provided risk awareness training to more than 300 UN staff since 2019 to increase knowledge and promote safe behaviour.

• Since 2015, UNMAS Libya has developed the capacity of more than 289 nationals in all aspects of mine action.

ABOUT

UNMAS deployed to Libya in March 2011 and was integrated into the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) as the Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section in July 2012. When major hostilities resumed between rival factions in 2014 and again in April 2019, the UN temporarily relocated many staff members to Tunisia. Following the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement in October 2020, most UNSMIL personnel returned to Libya. During temporary periods of operations from Tunisia, UNMAS continued to manage its operational activities and coordination support remotely and with its national staff and partners in Libya.

Numerous conflicts have exacerbated the level of ERW contamination and ammunition management issues. The use of heavy weapons in urban areas has resulted in widespread damage to homes, marketplaces, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure. It also hinders the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and access for humanitarian and early recovery workers. The number of IDPs is estimated to be 159,996[1] and there is little prospect of safe return until non-technical and/or technical surveys, EOD spot tasks, and/or battle area clearance are carried out. UNMAS activities contribute to the implementation of the 23 October 2020 Ceasefire Agreement, humanitarian operations, stabilisation activities, reconciliation, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

ACTIVITIES

UNMAS support continues to be important to assist communities, UNSMIL, and humanitarian partners in mitigating the threat from explosive devices. UNMAS contributes to the achievement of UNSMIL mandated objectives and those of the Humanitarian Country Team and the UN Country Team. Activities are aligned in three pillars and contribute to the implementation of the UN Mine Action Strategy 2019-23 and the UNMAS Libya Country Programme Strategy 2020-22:

Protection of Civilians

ERW contamination is severe in some urban areas, impacting civilians even after conflict abates. The presence of ERW threatens lives, impedes the safe return of IDPs, and impedes access for humanitarian actors to provide or restore basic services. UNMAS works with partners to mitigate the threat posed by ERW by engaging with Libyan authorities to implement activities and to facilitate coordination with stakeholders. UNMAS and partners provide EOD response, EORE, and non-technical surveys in various locations including Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte, Misrata, Sabha, and Tawergha to facilitate humanitarian activities, early recovery, and to prepare for the safe return of displaced people. In addition, UNMAS conducted workshops and research on victim assistance to provide strategic guidance for future engagement. Since 2021, as part of the Ceasefire Agreement implementation, UNMAS has been providing technical support and coordination for survey and ERW clearance of the coastal road which facilitated the reopening of the road on 30 July 2021. Further clearance operations are being carried out along the road from Abu Grein to Al Jufra with technical assistance from UNMAS. In 2022, UNMAS supported the Libyan mine action organization, Free Fields Foundation, which reached 14,797 direct beneficiaries through EORE in Tripoli, Tawergha, and Southern Libya helping to reduce the threat posed by contamination and facilitating the safe return of internally displaced people.

Arms and Ammunition Advisory Role

Unsafe and insecure storage of arms and ammunition, as well as their illicit proliferation, continue to pose serious challenges to security and stabilisation. As UNSMIL’s Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section, UNMAS completed the collection and disposal of approximately 200 tonnes of ERW from ammunition storage areas in Misrata in 2019; and provided technical advice, project management, and completed essential construction at a missile fuel storage site in Gharyan to prepare it for the future disposal of hazardous liquid missile fuel. To help mitigate the threat from improvised explosive devices, UNMAS trained 32 Forensic Police in Device Scene Incident Management. Building on similar previous projects, UNMAS carried out a series of trainings to empower Libyan youth to deliver small arms and light weapons risk awareness to assist in strengthening community resilience and to help reduce gender-based violence.

Capacity enhancement of national mine action actors

UNMAS prioritises the capacity enhancement of Libyan mine action actors and supports the Libyan Mine Action Centre (LibMAC) in accreditation processes for mine action organizations and facilitates coordination with international stakeholders and partners. Since 2015, UNMAS has trained over 70 National Safety Authority operators and Military Engineers in advanced EOD; trained 30 officers from eastern Libya in non-technical survey; trained 11 Air Defence officers in ammunition and chemical safety; provided advanced medical first responder training to 72 EOD operators from Benghazi; and trained several operators to address explosive ordnance threats in Sirte. UNMAS also increased capacity through the provision of EOD equipment to national actors and assisted the LibMAC in developing the Libyan Mine Action Standards which are now being implemented. UNMAS enhanced capacities of more than 300 Libyan Diplomatic Police Officers in explosive and operational threat mitigation and trained 12 Community Volunteers to deliver EORE in their communities.

FUNDING

UNMAS aims to support the implementation of these activities in close cooperation with local and international stakeholders. UNMAS receives funding to carry out its activities from the UNSMIL Regular Budget and bilateral donors.

Data as of August 2022