Despite an international treaty to prevent the use of cluster munitions, several countries around the world continue to use them.

Last Friday, the United States announced it would send cluster bombs to Ukraine in the middle of that country’s conflict with Russia. President Joe Biden said during an interview on CNN that this was a difficult decision, but it was necessary because “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”

This will not be a permanent decision and will be in effect as long as the country secures enough 155mm artillery, which is widely used by NATO systems.

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Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl announced that this shipment will be a bridge as they expand production of the other missiles.

“This war is about ammunition, and that ammunition is running out, and we have very little left,” Biden said.

Devices with a failure rate of less than 2.35% are sent to Ukraine.

For its part, Ukraine welcomed this decision and pledged not to use them in urban areas to avoid a risk to the civilian population.

“Cluster munitions will only be used in open fields where there is a concentration of Russian military personnel,” Ukrainian Defense Ministry Oleksi Reznikov said on his Twitter account.

Reznikov added that Ukraine will use such bombs “to break through enemy defense lines with minimal risk to the lives” of Ukrainian soldiers.

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Ukraine’s defense minister also pledged to “keep a meticulous record” of the places where these bombs are used, to prioritize the areas in question in clearing explosives “after they are cleared”.

“This allows us to eliminate the risk of unexploded cluster munitions elements,” Reznikov said.

against its use

At least a hundred countries are against the use of cluster bombs. Even UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke through his spokesman Farhan Haq before the dispatch was made official.

Haq recalled that a convention was created 15 years ago and that Guterres “wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention.”

Major military powers such as the United States, Russia and China have not signed the agreement, nor have countries such as Ukraine, Israel, Pakistan or India.

“As a result, (Guterres) does not want any further use of cluster bombs on the battlefield,” Haq said.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), this type of weapon has already been used by both Ukraine and Russia in the middle of the conflict.

What are Cluster Bombs?

Cluster bombs were first used in World War II (1939-1945). They were designed to destroy multiple dispersed military targets, such as tank or infantry formations, and cause combatant death or injury.

Specifically, they consist of a container that opens in the air and releases a large amount of explosive sub-munitions or “bombs” over a large area, which can have a radius of between 200 and 400 meters.

Some models can release over 600 submunitions designed to detonate on impact with the ground, although some do not detonate and remain buried.

Those “bombs” left in the ground could pose a danger to the civilian population similar to landmines, as they could detonate years later if a civilian passes through the area, causing death or serious injury, the commission said. . Cross International.

Speak against EFEGabriela Iveliz Rosa Hernández, a researcher with the Association for Arms Control (ACA), pointed out that this munitions that remain buried could even endanger the lives of the Ukrainian armed forces if they return to the recaptured areas.