These weapons, which often endanger civilian lives, are prohibited by the Oslo Treaty of 2008, signed by 123 countries, with the exception in particular of the United States, Ukraine and Russia.
A new threshold is crossed in the type of armament offered to kyiv. The United States will supply cluster munitions to Ukraine to help it defend against Russia, the White House announced on Friday July 7. “It’s a difficult decision. We postponed it” some time, said presidential national security adviser Jake Sullivan, while adding that it was “the right thing to do”.
Already used by the Russian army, these bombs disperse indiscriminately and over a large upper area a multitude of small explosives (ranging from a few dozen to 600), a large part of which does not explode and is buried in the ground. . They then fall, de facto, into the category of anti-personnel mines. Militarily, they make it possible to hit a large number of enemy soldiers, to render an airport runway unusable or to mine a vast territory to hinder enemy progress.
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In violation of international humanitarian law, these bombs strike civilians and soldiers indiscriminately. Experts claim that between 5 and 40% of submunitions fail to explode on impact and can thus remain in the ground for decades. “It is a death sentence for civilians in the long term. There are people who are not yet born who will be the victims”denounces the organization Handicap International.
Ukraine pledged to minimize risks to civilians, Washington says
The White House said President Joe Biden made his decision in consultation with allies and after a “unanimous recommendation” of his administration. It ensures that Ukraine has provided guarantees “in writing” on the use it will make of these weapons to minimize “the risks posed to civilians”.
A total of 123 countries, with the notable exception of Syria, the United States, Russia, China and Israel, have signed the 2008 Oslo Treaty, which entered into force in 2010, and which prohibits the production, stockpiling, sale and use of cluster munitions.
The American decision “is a step backwards which undermines the considerable advances of the international community in its attempt to protect civilians from such dangers during and after armed conflicts”said the NGO Amnesty International, asking Washington to reconsider its decision.