last time cluster bombs It was particularly brutal, used en masse in a war. It happened while dying 2006 Lebanon warbetween delivery Israel and Lebanese guerrilla Hezbollah. In the last 72 hours of this conflict, the UN Security Council had already approved the ceasefire and the end of the conflict was drawing near. israeli army sprayed into southern Lebanon four million little bombs, according to a subsequent investigation by UN demining teams. from The Gulf War nothing like him. This indiscriminate storm not only swept through the war’s mournful final roll, it continued to kill long after the guns fell silent. In the 16 months after the conflict, about 200 civilians, mostly children, died when they came across bullets from the clusters.
Israel’s brutal attack gave Israel momentum. Diplomatic attempts to ban cluster bombsProjectiles launched by artillery or aviation, shattering before touching the ground, and distributing dozens of fist-sized bombs or sub-munitions, can pierce armored vehicles, pass through fronts or kill people. Her lack of precision turns them into something indiscriminate weapon incapable of distinguishing between combatants and civilians, which must be added high failure rates of this ammunition after landing, which often leaves its full potential intact. The most extreme case LaosWhere about 300 people continue to die annually, according to the Red Cross 80 million cluster bombs He remained in the country half a century after the United States heavily bombed him. Vietnam War.
These factors led to the signing of the contract. Convention on Cluster Munitionsprohibiting the use, manufacture and storage of these weapons, and international right. But the treaty is just Approved by 123 countries, an exclusion list Russia, Ukraine, United States of America and seven more NATO countries. And the debate was rekindled after Washington sent cluster bombs to Kiev this week, aimed at helping it break through the Russian defenses during the ongoing counteroffensive. there is a decision divided into allies of the Atlantic Alliance It prompted human rights organizations to take action. Double standards that often apply in international relations.
Used for months in Ukraine
The fact is that cluster bombs used in most conflicts in recent years, Yugoslavia with Afghanistan, Iraq anyone Yemen— already regularly used in Ukraine since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion. Mainly by Kremlin forces but also by the Ukrainian military, according to organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW), which documented use in at least 10 of the country’s 24 provinces. Worst attack with this type of weapon, Kramatorsk (Donetsk) One in April 2022 Russian Tochka-U ballistic missile loaded with fragmentation bombs crashed into the city train station. At least 58 civilians were killed and a hundred injured in the attack. On the Ukrainian side, they would have been used mainly. isium At the time (Kharkov) was occupied by Russian troops, which, according to HRW, caused “a large number of deaths and serious injuries to civilians”.
The United States legitimized the sending of cluster bombs, which were requested by the United States to be launched from 155 millimeter Howitzer cannons. deficiencies of conventional artillery The industry faces challenges to produce at the required rate alongside Ukraine, which has been forced to ration its use and set a limit of 100,000 rounds per month. “They’re out of ammo,” President Joe Biden said last week. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg He harshly criticized Russia at the beginning of the war for this type of ammunition, which he described as “inhumane” and “contrary to international law”.
Division within NATO
countries like Spain, United Kingdom, Canada anyone New Zeland opposed the sending of cluster bombs. “Based on its firm commitment with Ukraine, Spain also has a firm commitment that certain weapons and bombs cannot be delivered under any circumstances,” the Defense Minister said last week. Daisy Robles. But Kiev argues that they can. “determining factor” for the liberation of occupied territoriesas they were before howitzer or systems Himarlar. “It is certainly capable of exerting an extraordinary psychological and emotional impact on the already demoralized Russian occupation groups,” said the Ukrainian presidential adviser a few days ago. Mikhail Podoliak. His country had pledged not to use cluster bombs on Russian territory or in urban areas currently occupied by the Kremlin.
Many military experts believe that these weapons could be very effective against established forces such as the Russians, while also providing protection to advancing Ukrainian troops. Instead, others think there are less indiscriminate alternatives that can perform the same function. No possible discussion for disarmament and human rights organizations. “The Biden administration’s decision It will contribute to the horrific number of casualties suffered by Ukrainian civilians.“Both immediately and in the years to come,” said Paul Hannon, the renowned Canadian disarmament expert.