International Alert Lebanon

Supporting Conflict-Sensitive Mine Action in Lebanon

Over the past year, International Alert partnered with Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and local partner SHEILD to strengthen conflict-sensitive mine action in South Lebanon.

Through tailored trainings and localized conflict analysis across several villages, the initiative supported teams to better understand community dynamics, enhance engagement, and integrate conflict sensitivity into their operations.

In response to the recent escalation in Lebanon, additional sessions on conflict sensitivity and aid distribution were delivered, reaching 22 participants.

This collaboration demonstrates how mine action can go beyond technical delivery to contribute to more inclusive, conflict-sensitive, and resilient communities.

This initiative was made possible with funding support from the Government of the Netherlands through the MACMIII programme.

🤲We are in awe of the work local women mediators are doing across Lebanon – especially in the South – no matter the circumstances.

The ongoing escalation in the Middle East has hit communities hard, displacing families, straining resources, and pushing relations between people to the breaking point. In Ein El Hilweh refugee camp – home to both Palestinian refugees and internally displaced Lebanese families – these pressures are felt every single day.

But Amal Shehabi, Nahid Kilani, Leila Sleiman, Suha Rahme, Sahar Jumaa, Amne Ata (in the photo below), and four other women mediators are not letting conflict define what they can do for their communities.

Over the past years, we have had the honour of training these women to mediate conflicts, ease tensions, and bring people together – as part of the 'Women, Peace and Security in the Arab States' project supported by UN Women Lebanon.

Today, these skills matter more than ever: women mediators are making sure that humanitarian response is grounded in local needs, and that communities support each other rather than turn against one another.

👉This is yet another reminder of how crucial peacebuilding is in times of instability and conflict – a strategic investment from the very beginning, not an afterthought.

Unity is what people need. And these women are delivering it.

We’re deeply concerned about the escalating violence in the Middle East, read a comment from our Executive Director Nic Hailey CMG here:

“As violent conflict grips the Middle East we urge leaders to de-escalate and to take action to broker peace in the region. Once again people who have no role in the violence face having families torn apart, losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

“Living in peace means feeling safe, without fear of violence, and it is a right that we must seek to protect for all.”

"Participation is the key to building a healthy society", believes Roula Chami, social worker and trained local mediator from Beirut – who puts these words into action every day.

In Lebanon, where society is marked by successive wars, women have always held communities together. Yet their leadership in peacebuilding has consistently been overlooked.

Through the 'Women, Peace and Security' programme, Roula gained skills in mediation, conflict resolution, and leadership. But more importantly, she found a network of like-minded women.

Together, they are dismantling barriers and proving that women are essential to building peace – not supplementary to it.

Roula's story began with profound loss – her mother killed in war when she was just 14. She transformed that trauma into a lifelong commitment to help her community heal, recover, and rebuild back stronger.

👏 She is now mediating local disputes, offering presence and facilitating healing, inspiring others to work together for a safer, more peaceful Lebanon.

Discover how Roula is bridging deepest divides between communities in crisis and why women mediators are key to lasting peace.

Access Roula's powerful story here: bit.ly/mediators-Roula

In Arabic below👇
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