Explosive remnants of war continue to affect parts of southern Lebanon, restricting access to land and posing long-term risks to local communities. In April 2022, Global Clearance Solutions (GCS) completed a fourweek training programme in Nabatieh, near Lebanon's southern border, focused on the operation and maintenance of the GCS-200 mechanical demining platform. The training was delivered in cooperation with Mines Advisory Group (MAG) as part of ongoing humanitarian mine action efforts in the region.

Building local technical capability

The programme was led by a GCS senior field technician with more than two decades of international demining experience, including deployments in Africa and the Middle East. Eight local engineers received handson instruction covering both safe operation and technical maintenance of the GCS-200, enabling them to support sustained clearance operations in challenging terrain.

Training content was tailored to the specific equipment configuration and operational environment, reflecting GCS's standard approach to capacity building. Depending on project requirements, such training programmes can range from short familiarisation courses to extended, indepth technical instruction.

Operating the GCS-200 in demanding terrain

Southern Lebanon presents demanding ground conditions, with rocky soil and hardened gravel common across contaminated areas. The GCS-200 was selected to address these challenges, offering the robustness required to process rough terrain and to neutralise buried explosive hazards.

Training focused on piloting the remotecontrolled platform and operating its flail attachment, which uses multiple rotating hammers to process soil and vegetation. Particular attention was given to safety procedures and system resilience, including scenarios involving deeply buried or highexplosive items such as antitank mines.

Service and long-term support

Alongside operator training, the programme emphasised the importance of service and maintenance as part of effective mechanical clearance. GCS supports deployed platforms through a combination of field technicians, remote technical assistance and support from its production and service facilities in Germany.

As Fabian Klauser, Head of Services at GCS, explains:

"Service is a core part of our work. It includes onsite technical support, the transfer of specialist skills and the ability to respond quickly, even in remote locations, to keep clearance assets operational."

Addressing a persistent contamination legacy

Lebanon's contamination stems from decades of conflict, including civil war, crossborder hostilities and fighting involving multiple armed groups. Thousands of landmines and other explosive hazards are believed to remain, particularly along the Blue Line, the sensitive border area in the south of the country.

Since 2001, MAG has been actively engaged in mine clearance operations across Lebanon, contributing to risk reduction and improved access to land. Mechanical demining, supported by trained national teams, plays a key role in addressing larger or more complex minefields that are difficult to clear manually.

Enabling safer land use

The transfer of mechanical demining skills supports both immediate clearance needs and longer-term national capacity. Clearing contaminated land is essential for restoring agricultural use, improving safety and reducing the daily risk faced by communities living near mined areas.

As the GCS field technician leading the programme noted, sharing this expertise contributes directly to humanitarian outcomes by enabling safer and more effective mine action.