In a recent development in the Ukrainian war, the White House announced last Friday that it had agreed to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine. This decision was met with objection from the Russian side, as the Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, confirmed that the transfer of such weapons to Kyiv by Washington would be another step towards escalating the conflict.
However, what is remarkable is that this decision by the United States was fiercely rejected and strongly condemned by many human rights organizations. This raises the question of why cluster munitions in particular are a cause for concern from a humanitarian perspective, despite the huge amount of weapons, including unenriched uranium bombs, that were sent to Ukraine and which really expanded the scope of the war.
According to a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, cluster munitions have been an urgent problem for decades, as the widespread and long-term effects of these weapons have caused and continue to cause large numbers of civilian casualties. The report categorically confirms that the effects of using this type of munitions will far outweigh the consequences of using anti-personnel mines.
Cluster munitions are weapons that consist of a container that opens in the air to disperse large numbers of “bomblets,” or explosive sub-munitions, over a wide area. Depending on the model, the number of submunitions can range from several dozen to over 600. Most of the submunitions are designed to explode directly and have the advantage of free falling, meaning that they are not directed individually toward any specific target. The main purpose of using these munitions is to destroy multiple military targets scattered over a wide area, such as formations of tanks or infantry, and to kill or injure combatants.
However, the danger of cluster munitions lies in the fact that they remain active even after the end of the conflict. Many of these munitions do not explode directly and remain active for decades, threatening civilians if they are not removed and destroyed. Studies indicate that the failure rate for cluster munitions to detonate may be close to 50%.
To date, technical improvements in cluster munitions have not provided an adequate solution. Accordingly, cluster munitions remain on the ground, waiting for their victim, even many years after the end of the conflict. As soon as an individual steps on them, they explode, tearing their body into pieces that fly everywhere, causing disability, or leading to death. Because they are “range weapons,” they can fire huge numbers of submunitions over an area of up to tens of thousands of square meters, meaning their danger far exceeds the danger of individual mines.
More seriously, these unexploded ordnances are usually found inside and outside buildings, where they may be buried underground, among the rubble, or hidden inside collapsed walls. Likewise, unexploded ordnance may be hidden inside trees or hanging from branches, walls, and fences, making the process of finding and completely destroying them almost impossible.
The impact of cluster munitions not only affects individuals but also the country whose land is contaminated with these munitions.
These countries are unable to exploit their land and natural resources, leading to a slowdown in the process of economic and social development. Moreover, these countries bear a large financial cost in case they decide to clear the lands of unexploded cluster munitions. The cost of removing unexploded cluster munitions is very high, and their inability to completely remove the danger means that they continue to pose a grave threat to displaced civilians returning to their home countries, impede reconstruction efforts, and make vital livelihood activities such as agriculture dangerous for years or even decades after the end of the conflict.
One of the most famous countries still suffering from the devastating long-term effects of cluster munitions is Laos in Southeast Asia. Laos has more than 270 million cluster munitions scattered on its territory, dropped by the United States of America during the Vietnam War. These munitions continue to kill and injure many civilians to this day.
Tragic examples of the use of cluster munitions in the Middle East include Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Lebanon was also severely affected when it was rained down with cluster munitions by “Israel” during the July 2006 war, turning Lebanon into a second Laos.
The heinous and destructive consequences of the use of cluster munitions during and after armed conflicts, especially the harm to civilians, have raised voices against banning the use of this weapon. This led to the adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008, which bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions. 123 countries have ratified this agreement, but the United States, Russia, China, and Ukraine have not joined it.
Despite all these risks, the White House stubbornly claims that Ukraine will use cluster munitions on its soil, minimizing the risks to its own population. Germany strongly opposed the decision of the United States, being one of the signatories to the Munitions Ban Treaty, and also because it is one of the countries that suffered greatly from the consequences of using this deadly weapon, whose effects extend for decades. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian regime always follows American whims without appreciating the risks. This is despite the obvious fact that the Ukrainian people will be the first victims of this deadly weapon.
Dr Marwa El- Shinawy is an Academic and writer
