On January 24, 2022, members of the Ghanaian contingent in the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) were involved in what some Lebanese newspapers, including Al-Akhbar, referred to as an “altercation” with inhabitants of the Southern town of Ramyah in Bint Jbeil District. In its report, which it did not attribute to a clear source while settling for saying “Al-Akhbar has learned that,” the newspaper said that the altercation occurred after “soldiers entered a neighborhood on the outskirts of the town yesterday night without a Lebanese Army escort, noting that the motorized patrol caused damage to a water tank in an agricultural project.” As a result, a number of townspeople gathered and prevented the patrol from crossing Ramyah. Shortly thereafter, a patrol composed of UNIFIL and Lebanese Army forces intervened, according to Al-Akhbar.
For its part, the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in South Lebanon announced the injuring of one of its soldiers whose patrol was attacked in the town of Ramyah, indicating that “the perpetrators vandalized two vehicles and stole a number of items” (Russia Today website).
On the other hand an official statement by UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said that “the Lebanese Armed Forces were at the scene and later managed to calm the situation,” assuring: “The peacekeepers were not on private property, but on a public road where they were doing their duty of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and maintaining stability in southern Lebanon.”
Tenenti then continued: “Under Resolution 1701, UNIFIL enjoys full freedom of movement within its area of operations,” believing that the “attacks on men and women who serve the cause of peace are considered crimes under Lebanese and international laws” and urging the “the Lebanese authorities to investigate this crime and prosecute those responsible for it” (Andrea Tenenti’s statement on Masdar Diplomacy website).
In that same context, the Ramyah town population issued a statement saying that “a vehicle belonging to the UNIFIL forces entered the town last Sunday without an escort from the Lebanese Army or security bodies (...)” (statement of the town population).
As with the Al-Akhbar piece, the strong suggestion here and elsewhere in the local media was that UNIFIL does not have a legal right to move in South Lebanon without being accompanied by the Lebanese Army or security bodies under its two governing UN Security Council Resolutions, 425 of 1978 and 1701 of 2006,
This was the first incident in 2022 and the second incident within a month, seeing as how a similar one had been registered with the Finnish contingent in the town of Chaqra, where the town’s inhabitants threw rocks at the patrol under the pretext that it was in their town without a Lebanese Army escort. This incident coincided with the conclusion of an official visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Lebanon, during which he visited the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Naqoura and insisted on UNIFIL’S freedom of movement.
On that day, Deputy Director of UNIFIL Media Office Candice Ardell told the National News Agency that “Stripping UNIFIL of its freedom of movement and attacking those who are serving the cause of peace is unacceptable and a violation of the agreement surrounding the status of these forces, which was signed by Lebanon” (statement in Al-Akhbar newspaper). She thus called on “all the relevant sides to respect the freedom of movement of the peacekeepers, which is extremely important for the execution of UNIFIL’s tasks in accordance with Resolution 1701.”
Also on that day, several reports were carried by local newspapers and media outlets, saying that UNIFIL patrols were carrying out operations in which their elements were in possession of various surveillance and communication devices and cameras, and taking pictures of houses without being escorted by the Lebanese army (report on Ya Sour website).
This accusation had also been repeated in the Ramyah incident.
However, a report on the incident carried by En-Nashra website put forward a slightly different version, seeing as how Head of the Ramyah municipality Nabil Saleh said that according to the information that reached him, the incident merely involved a “UN Interim Force patrol, which while making a turn in one of the town’s streets, may have hit a water tank belonging to an individual by mistake, noting that this water tank is used to irrigate a nearby cow farm. And this caused damage to the tank.” The head of the municipality continued, as per the report: “Following this incident, the citizen in question rejected the patrol’s behavior, seeing as how it broke the water tank without any regard for what happened, leading to a verbal altercation between him and the members of the patrol.”
Saleh thus assured that the altercation did not go any further, and that there was no additional information in this regard, although the Lebanese Army was present.
Another version acquired by En-Nashra from one of the town’s residents said that “on Sunday, a UNIFIL patrol entered a private agricultural land in the border town of Ramyah and searched the site without a Lebanese Army escort. So, the population peacefully protested against it to get it to pull out.”
And according to that tale, “the patrol returned to the same location on Tuesday without a Lebanese Army escort. When the inhabitants protested against those practices, the patrol hysterically pulled out, hit one citizen, and destroyed a number of water tanks belonging to a cow farm, without any regard for the damages it was causing especially in light of the difficult economic situation endured by the Lebanese citizens. So, the inhabitants protested again and called for the Lebanese Army’s help, which came and led the UN elements out of the site.”
In an interview with Al-Modon website, UNIFIL Official Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti then confirmed that in several of the recent disputes, the Lebanese army was indeed not present. When asked about the “accusations against UNIFIL for violating Resolution 1701 by carrying out patrols without a Lebanese Army escort and taking pictures,” he stated:
He added that UNIFIL had not changed its work approach, activities, or measures. Tenenti then concluded: “It is important to note there is a great amount of misleading information about UNIIFL. And this misleading information is destructive and dangerous, and is threatening the security and stability which UNIFIL has worked on achieving with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the hosting communities.”
Fact Check Assessment: True But Misleading
The report carried by Al-Akhbar newspaper regarding the Lebanese Army not escorting UNIFIL’s patrols is true, along with the statement of denial of the inhabitants of Ramyah, as evidenced by the recognition of UNIFIL’s official spokesperson. But Al-Akhbar misled its readers since it strongly suggested that UNIFIL patrols without the Army are somehow illegal under UN Security Council Resolutions, although UNIFIL can in fact legally conduct patrols alone, without a Lebanese Army or security escort:
Indeed, Security Council Resolution 1701 of August 11, 2006, stipulates the deployment of the Lebanese Army, backed by the UN force. To the Lebanese sides, this is often interpreted as meaning that the army’s presence is mandatory. But as one UNIFIL official told us, under the condition that their name not be used, “UNIFIL forces can carry out patrols without the army, as there is nothing in Resolution 1701 clearly pointing to the need to have the army present. What is being said in this regard by some Lebanese media outlets is misleading.”
(Resolution 1701).
Moreover, the difficult economic situation that has been ongoing for more than two years in Lebanon has carried heavy repercussions for the Lebanese Army and the ability to secure transport and fuel allowances. Therefore, the Lebanese Army is also not participating in all of UNIFIL’s patrols due to the economic situation, which is what Tenenti pointed out in his statements to Al-Modon when he said: “Most of UNIFIL’s daily patrols, which exceed 400 patrols and field activities, are conducted without the Lebanese Armed Forces.” And he assured that UNIFIL had not changed its work approach, activities, or measures.
The same UNIFIL official above who requested anonymity explained further that, “since the peacekeeping mission started its enhanced mandate in 2006, it has been coordinating its operations with the Lebanese Army on a daily basis. However, the Army’s participation has significantly retreated lately due to the economic difficulties, thus participating in no more than 15% of the patrols. Still, the army is aware of all the patrols and activities we are carrying out, and which exceed 400 daily.” The source thus indicated: “This has been the case since 2006, though participation in the patrols recently decreased due to the situation that has reflected on the army’s capabilities.”
The source added that, “there are no confrontations with the population the way its is being depicted by some local media outlets. The peacekeepers are often prevented from conducting their missions by one person or a small group, who should be held accountable by the Lebanese government.”
