Ukraine has increased the victims of cluster bombs 8 times

At least 1,172 people were killed or wounded cluster bombs -banned in more than a hundred countries- in 2022, eight times more than in 2021, the increase is caused by their use in Ukrainian war by both the Russian and Ukrainian armies, the latter with weapons donated by the United States.

These are the main conclusions 14th Annual Report of the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC)which is campaigning for more countries to sign the 2008 Oslo Convention against these weapons, so far with 112 states parties and 12 more signatories, albeit with the absence of major powers.

The death toll is the highest CMC has confirmed in a year since it began reporting in 2010.

The study points to a resurgence of attacks with this type of cluster weapon: if in 2021, 149 confirmed victims died or were injured when the remnants of these weapons exploded, none in attacks, last year 987 of the 1,172 victims were due to actions in which these were used is a weapon.

In the majority of cases (890 victims), these actions with cluster bombs were committed in Ukraine, although their indiscriminate use was also revealed in attacks by government forces Syria and from Burma (Myanmar), according to the CMC report.

Zones in current and past conflicts
In addition to those three countries, victims of cluster bombs were identified last year in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon and Yemenin these cases not by direct attacks but by the explosion of the remains of these weapons used in the past.

95 percent of the victims of these cluster bombs are civilians, the document warns, which also points out that 71 percent of those killed or injured in accidents related to remnants of these weapons are children.

“The shocking increase in the number of new civilian casualties caused by cluster munitions serves as a stark reminder of the devastating effect these heinous weapons have on civilians, including children,” said CMC Director, CMC while presenting the report. Tamar Gabelnick.

“All countries that have not banned these weapons must do so immediately, there is no justification for their continued use”he added.

The authors of the report expressed concern over the recent decision by the US government, last July, to authorize the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine, a move which the CMC recalled has been criticized by leaders around the world.

“The new transfers and use of cluster munitions are cause for serious concern due to the documented harm to civilians and the fact that most countries have banned these weapons,” said the activist from Human Rights Watch Mary Warehamwho participated in editing the reportage.

Scattered, indiscriminate and latent weapons
Cluster bomb attacks, land or air, disperse multiple submunitions or mini-munitions over a wide area, many of which do not explode on initial impact, leaving behind remnants that can cause long-term death and indiscriminate injury, similar to landmines.

The CMC highlights the progress of the convention to ban it, which South Sudan acceded to last month, and for the removal of these weapons by signatory countries: States parties have collectively destroyed 99% of their stockpiles, approximately 1.48 million rounds of ammunition.

Bulgaria, the study recalls, destroyed the last stocks of its cluster bombs this year, along with two more (Peru and Slovakia) neutralized 4,166 munitions and 134,598 submunitions between 2022 and the first half of 2023.

However, powers like United States, Russia, China, India or Brazil (along with Ukraine itself) They are still non-compliant with the convention and continue to be part of a group of 16 nations that still produce this type of weapon, which is repeated even among European Union countries such as Poland, Romania and Greece.

At least 29 nations are contaminated with cluster munition remnants, including 11 signatories to the convention, and only 11 other state parties retain munitions of this type for “research and training” purposes, with Germany retaining the largest number.

As for the US, the report indicates that the last manufacturer of cluster munitions ceased production in 2016, but that country is developing “substitute” weapons with similar effects that could fall under the Oslo Convention’s definition of prohibited weapons.