Cluster Bombs: The Weapon That Kills For Years

Cluster bombs have proved to be a deadly weapon used by many countries around the world. They not only kill civilians in large numbers but also contaminate the land for decades after the explosion. Ninety percent of all recorded casualties of cluster bombs have been civilians, with 40% of the casualties being children.

What are these horrific “cluster bombs”?
Also known as cluster munitions, these weapons can be deployed from the air and the ground, sending out dozens of smaller submunitions that can have an impact on an area the size of several football fields. This means that anyone within that area is extremely likely to be killed or – at the very least – injured, regardless of whether they are the targeted aim or simply ordinary citizens going about their daily lives. Many of the submunitions that fall to the ground and remain these, posing as a “fatal threat” to the people living in that area as they try to rebuild their lives after a conflict.

The Cluster Munitions Coalition aims to put an end to the use of these weapons. An international coalition of NGOs, they work with countries around the world to prevent further deaths and injuries from cluster bombs, as well as help those countries that are heavily contaminated by leftover submunitions. The number of countries contaminated stands at 24, with Laos and Vietnam being at the top of this list.

Where do different countries stand on the use of cluster munitions?
Currently 19 government armed forces are said to have used cluster munitions. Used today by the Syrian armed forces, cluster munitions have also been used in 14 other countries: Angola, Chad, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia.

You can find out where your country stands here.

What is being done about it?
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed by 94 countries in December 2008, with the treaty entering into force on the 1st of August 2010. The international treaty “addresses the humanitarian consequences and unacceptable harm to civilians caused by cluster munitions through a categorical prohibition and a framework for action”. Preventing the use and production of cluster munitions, the treaty also sets out a framework for assistance for survivors and communities of cluster munition attacks.

Since the treaty entered into force in August 2010, none of the member countries have been involved in the use of cluster munitions and today 112 countries have signed the Convention. However, much more work needs to be done to ensure that every country joins the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

What is the next step?
From the 9th to the 13th of September, states will be gathering in Lusaka, Zambia to push for further progress on the Convention on Cluster Munitions, as well as a continent-wide ban on the weapon in Africa. State Parties of the Convention are due to give an update on their progress of implementing the treaty and will be making important decisions on ways to support the cause further and globalise the Convention. 42 of the 112 countries that are on board the international treaty are in Africa, although 19 of those countries are still due to ratify the Convention.

States that are yet to join the treaty will also be present to present the progress they are taking towards joining.

DTAR, LAOS: “One day in 2003 I took my two boys down to the river to go fishing. I found a cluster bomb in the water and picked it up. It went off in my hands and blew off my arms. Now we are getting poorer because I lost both my arms and I can’t work to support my family.” [image credit: Cluster Munition Coalition]

What can you do?
If your country isn’t one of those on board the Convention on Cluster Munitions, make sure they are!

If your country has not yet signed the treaty or has signed it but is yet to ratify it, write to your government and urge them to do so. You can also contact your MP and inform them of the importance of eradicating these harmful weapons that cause deaths to innocent civials. And finally, you can sign the People’s Treaty – the more signatures, the easier it will be for the Cluster Munitions Coalition to convince countries to sign up.

It’s bad enough that governments use weapons that kill innocent civilians in large numbers, but it’s worse when those weapons are left over after the conflict to continue killing for years to come. Unexpected detonation by submunitions that lurk on the war torn land for years are a serious hazard to people who are already vulnerable and trying to move on from the trauma they have already experienced. No government should be excused from using such a horrific weapon against it’s own people.

Show your support for the campaign against cluster munitions and keep up to date with their progress by liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter.