Clearing the Prophet's Shrine
During November 2002 one of MAG's Mine Action Teams (MAT) conducted an emergency task at a religious site near Aaramta, South Lebanon. The site, a Prophet's shrine located at the top of a mountain, is a pilgrimage destination visited by hundreds of people throughout the year, particularly during the spring and summer.
Renovation works were planned for the winter of 2002 to 2003 in order to repair the damage caused by recent conflicts. During these times of conflict the land around the shrine, and on the access routes leading up to it, had been mined and MAG was requested to clear the area to allow a safe access for workers and future visitors to the tomb.
The first mine found by MAG, less than one metre from the entrance of the shrine.
Among the inhabitants of Aaramta the area is known to be unsafe but the majority of pilgrims come from villages outside the area and are unaware of the mine problem. Several mine-related accidents have been recorded in the past five years with the majority of victims being children playing or walking in the surrounding pine forest. The pathway is not clearly marked and there were no boundaries or danger signs indicating that mines were present.
Due to the weather conditions and the high altitude of the site, the clearance work was extremely challenging for the MAG teams. All equipment has to be transported on donkeys on an uphill climb taking 30 minutes. Despite the difficulties the immediate area around the tomb was made safe in November 2002 and the land around the hillside was fenced and warning signs erected to show the potential dangers of mines in the vicinity. This land will be cleared at a later date. During the clearance a booby-trapped VS-50 anti-personnel mine connected to a 6mm mortar was found, as well as an unexploded grenade. The cleared land handed over to the mayor of the village after and the religious authorities have expressed their gratitude to the MAG teams for their efforts and hard work.
