#Cluster Munitions Coalition

[xtruss]

The US Sent Cluster Munitions to Ukraine But Activists Still Seek to Bolster a Treaty Banning Them

Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions are striving to prevent erosion in support for it after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against ...

— By Jamey Keaten | September 5, 2023

Police officers look at collected fragments of the Russian rockets, including cluster rounds, that hit Kharkiv, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 3, 2022. Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions are striving to prevent erosion in support for it after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against Russia. Advocacy groups in the Cluster Munitions Coalition released their latest annual report on Tuesday Sept. 5, 2023. AP Photo/Libkos . The Associated Press

Geneva, Switzerland — Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions are striving to prevent erosion in support for the deal after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against Russia.

Advocacy groups in the Cluster Munitions Coalition released their latest annual report on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting next week of envoys from the 112 countries that have acceded to or ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The treaty prohibits the explosives and calls for clearing areas where they litter the ground because they harm and kill many more civilians than combatants,

A further 12 countries have signed the convention. The United States and Russia are not among them.

Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch, who has long championed the 15-year-old convention, says the coalition was “extremely concerned” about the U.S. move in July, after an intense debate among U.S. leaders, to transfer unspecified thousands of 155mm artillery-delivered cluster munition rounds to Ukraine.

More than 20 government leaders and officials have criticized that decision, the coalition says.

Hoping to avoid defections from the convention, Wareham says supporters hope signatories will “stay strong — that they do not weaken their position on the treaty as a result of the U.S. decision. And we don’t see that happening yet. But it’s always a danger.”

U.S. officials argue that the munitions — a type of bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller “bomblets” across a wide area — could help Kyiv bolster its offensive and push through Russian front lines.

Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP Via Getty Images

U.S. leaders have said the transfer involves a version of the munition that has a reduced “dud rate,” meaning fewer of the smaller bomblets fail to explode. The bomblets can take out tanks and equipment, as well as troops, hitting multiple targets at the same time.

But Wareham cited “widespread evidence of civilian harm that (is) caused by these weapons. It was just an unconscionable decision.”

The report says civilians accounted for 95% of cluster munition casualties that were recorded last year, totaling some 1,172 in eight countries: Azerbaijan, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. The monitor noted efforts in places like Bulgaria, Peru and Slovakia to destroy their stockpiles of the munitions in 2022 and earlier this year.

Children made up 71% of casualties from explosions of cluster-munition remnants last year, the report said.

It said Russia had “repeatedly” used cluster munitions in Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to invade Ukraine in February last year, while Ukraine had used them “to a lesser extent.”

Washington’s decision “is certainly a setback,” said Wareham, “but it’s not the end of the road for the Convention on Cluster Munitions by far.”

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The Biden administration has decided to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine and is expected to announce on Friday that the Pentagon will send thousands as part of a new military aid package worth up to $800 million for the war effort against Russia, according to people familiar with the decision.

The decision comes despite widespread concerns that the controversial bombs can cause civilian casualties. Long sought by Ukraine, cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or “bomblets,” that are dispersed over a large area and are intended to wreak destruction on multiple targets at once.

The last large-scale American use of cluster bombs was during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to the Pentagon. But U.S. forces considered them a key weapon during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, according to Human Rights Watch. In the first three years of that conflict, it is estimated the U.S.-led coalition dropped more than 1,500 cluster bombs in Afghanistan.

[dashofweak]

This is how you can tell someone is so deep in Russian propaganda they stop connecting with reality:

"this is a Russia v NATO war" A. This completely ignore Ukrainians as people, as humans, as a nation watching their country being invaded by hostile foreign troops. And B. Even if it was, I think the side with multiple rich countries working as a coalition who hasn't even taken a single casualty will be the winner.

And of course the alliance that requires the country joining it to join of it's own accord AND the express permission of everyone already in it to join stationing missiles on nations that border Russia just....shouldn't be allowed. Because it would....hurt their feelings? Like, these people never consider what the actual ramification of a bunch of NATO tanks storming across the Russian border would actually look like (international outrage followed by a few tactical nuclear strikes that destroy whatever was heading towards Moscow and the international equivalent of 'yeah fair's fair, they were being invaded). No one's looking to invade the oil company that whines and kills like an autocratic government.

Lastly, everything about "there's landmines everywhere, massive environmental damage, THE WEST (and only the west, no other actors here) did this, and they know they and they alone are poisoning this country is really telling. How dare only ~T H E W E S T~ knowingly do these things? (I'm surprised they didn't bring up cluster munitions...you know the things Russians have been using since day one and was only controversial until before the US approved it as lethal aid.)

[semtituloh]

Via Cluster Munition Coalition

“As a survivor who lives daily with the consequences of cluster munitions use, there can be no justification for use of this insidious weapon by anyone, anywhere. We call on all parties to end all use immediately, and take all measures to protect civilian lives,” - Cluster Munition Coalition Ambassador Branislav Kapetanović.

Read the ICBL-CMC statement on new cluster munitions use allegations in Ukraine.

[herukapadmajungiansworld]

This week was a real nightmare for Putin.

His Turkish friend betrayed him on all levels.

⁃Erdogan angers Putin with ‘betrayal’ of Azov prisoner release.

⁃The Turkish leader performed a major U-turn over Sweden NATO membership.

⁃EU and Erdogan agree to 're-energise' EU-Turkey ties.

Putin went to war because he wanted less NATO. He's getting much more NATO.

The Group of Seven (G7) coalition revealed a long-term security framework for Ukraine.

Ukraine will not need an action plan on its way to NATO.

NATO is strengthening borders with Russia.

⭐President Zelensky will go home with a cady overflowing with weapons.

U.S. will send cluster munition to Ukraine.

⭐France will provide Ukraine with long range weapons.

Germany announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth about €686 million.

⭐Norway is sending 2 more NASAMS air defense systems including 2 additional fire control centers, 2 launchers and spare parts as well as 1,000 Black Hornet reconnaissance drones.

Denmark handed over drones for mine scanning as part of the aid package for Ukraine.

⭐Australia will send an additional fleet of 30 armored Bushmaster infantry vehicles at a cost of $67 million.

Canada will send an unspecified number or types of armored vehicles.

⭐Japan will send an unspecified drone detection system.

The UK will send more than 70 combat and transport vehicles and thousands of rounds of ammunition for Challenger 2 tanks.

⭐Sweden signed agreements on the exchange of classified intelligence and defense procurement.

➡️➡️The possibility of supplying Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles to be discussed at the White House.⬅️⬅️

⭐Turkey plans to build a drone production plant in Ukraine.

South Africa asks to send Foreign Minister instead of Putin to the BRICS summit.

⭐Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin refused to let his fighters serve under someone else's command.

😁😄Putin had to weaken his army by imprisoning competent generals😁😄

[indianflash123]

Cluster Munitions Kill Thousands, Threaten Global Ban Efforts

Cluster munitions continue to wreak havoc worldwide, causing thousands of civilian casualties, particularly among children. A new report from the Cluster Munition Coalition highlights the alarming persistence of these weapons and the threat they pose to international efforts to ban them. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2024, civilians accounted for 93% of cluster munitions casualties…

[indianflashnews]

Cluster Munitions Kill Thousands, Threaten Global Ban Efforts

Cluster munitions continue to wreak havoc worldwide, causing thousands of civilian casualties, particularly among children. A new report from the Cluster Munition Coalition highlights the alarming persistence of these weapons and the threat they pose to international efforts to ban them. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2024, civilians accounted for 93% of cluster munitions casualties…

[mineaction]

Marking the 25 Years of Global Efforts to Eradicate Landmines and Empower Lives.

Civil society urges vigilance against backsliding on the treaty’s norms.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty's entry into force, a monumental milestone in global efforts to end the use of antipersonnel landmines, inherently indiscriminate weapons that have a devastating impact on communities worldwide.

Signed in December 1997, the treaty came into force on 1 March 1999, establishing a global prohibition on any use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel landmines, as well as obligations to clear contaminated land and assist landmine victims. It was a groundbreaking achievement – the first time in history a conventional weapon was totally banned and victims’ rights to assistance recognized and included in a disarmament treaty.

Reflecting on the past 25 years, Ms. Tamar Gabelnick, Director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines - Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) said: “Over the past 25 years, the ICBL has driven a transformative change in humanitarian disarmament. Our collective efforts have led to tangible and lasting changes for communities affected by mines – from the clearance of huge tracts of land to the recognition of rights of survivors. With tens of millions of stockpiled mines destroyed and near universal respect for the ban on use, the future risk to communities has also been curtailed."

Key Achievements

Today the convention enjoys widespread support with 164 countries formally onboard and with a strong stigma against the weapon established globally. Over the past 25 years the treaty has had remarkable impact, including:

-A substantial reduction in landmine casualties - down from some 25,000 casualties per year in 1999 to less than 5,000 casualties recorded last year by the Landmine Monitor; this means thousands of lives and limbs spared around the world;

Large tracts of contaminated land cleared and returned to productive use, with over 30 countries becoming mine-free;

-The almost universal end to use of a previously widely employed weapon

-Over 55 million mines held in stockpiles destroyed, with production and transfers almost nonexistent;

-The recognition of rights and needs of landmine victims, with efforts to provide assistance including medical care, rehabilitation, and psychosocial support and social and economic inclusion.

The Mine Ban Treaty has also inspired and served as a model for other international instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons, and most recently the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.

Remaining Challenges

Despite these achievements, significant challenges persist. The conflict in Ukraine has created a new threat to the ban norm, with massive new contamination by Russia and reports of use by State Party Ukraine. Recent news reports also indicate that other European States Parties to the treaty fearing a threat from Russia are rethinking their commitment to the treaty despite their legal and moral obligations to the ban.

“Any movement by States Parties away from the norms of the treaty is unacceptable, would create a highly disturbing precedent, and would be an affront to the countless people who have lost lives and limbs to these hideous weapons. The reasons they were banned in the first place – their inherently indiscriminate nature, the horrific wounds they inflict, and the long-term threat they create for communities – hold equally true in times of conflict,” declared Ms. Gabelnick. “Any use of antipersonnel mines, by any actor, under any circumstances must be condemned in the strongest terms.”

Use has also been documented by Myanmar, as well as non-state armed groups in a handful of countries. New use has led to new contamination and a sharp rise in casualties. As reported by the latest Landmine Monitor over 85% of casualties recorded were civilians, and 50% were children. Dozens of countries still remain contaminated. In many clearance efforts have been slow, with contamination of improvised mines posing additional challenges. Many livelihoods are directly impacted and communities facing daily the threat of an accident. Risk education and victim assistance remain pressing challenges.

The needs of mine victims and survivors, who typically face permanent disabilities with profound impact on themselves and their families, are too often overlooked. Many struggle with access to assistance, services, and viable economic opportunities. The Landmine Monitor 2023 report underscores this concern, revealing that rehabilitation programs and support are critically underfunded, with international aid for victim assistance constituting only 5% of the total mine action funding.

The universalization of the convention has slowed down lately, with 33 states that are yet to join and no new member since 2017.

While celebrating the progress made over the past 25 years, the ICBL urges the global community to fortify efforts to fulfill the central goal of the treaty: “To put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines.” “We all need to continue with full determination to ensure further progress – stagnation or any backsliding are not an option, especially in these times of conflict and unrest. The treaty’s obligations to end all use of antipersonnel mines, clear all contaminated land, and empower all survivors must be respected without excuses, exceptions, or delays,” added Ms. Gabelnick.

ICBL’s call for redoubling of efforts comes ahead of the Siem Reap – Angkor Summit On A Mine-Free World - the Mine Ban Treaty’s milestone 5th Review Conference in Cambodia on 25-29 November 2024. States, the UN, and civil society, including mine survivors, will gather to asses the progress made to date and to provide a roadmap for the work ahead for the next five years, towards a future where no one lives in fear of landmines.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) has played a pivotal role in the global movement to ban landmines, working hand in hand with governments, international organizations, and affected communities to create the treaty, expand its membership, and ensure its powerful provisions are put into practice by states. The ICBL has remained at the forefront of the efforts to see its promise fulfilled and put a conclusive end to the global scourge of landmines.

Ends

About the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)

The ICBL is a global network of non-governmental organizations advocating for a world without antipersonnel landmines and where the suffering caused by these weapons has ended, and where the rights of victims are upheld and realized.The campaign was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its efforts to bring about the Mine Ban Treaty.

[libertariantaoist]

News Roundup 9/6/2023 | The Libertarian Institute

Here is your daily roundup of today's news:

News Roundup 9/6/2023

by Kyle Anzalone

US News

A federal judge denied Massachusetts Airman Jack Teixeira’s motion to be released while he waits for his trial to begin. Teixeira is accused of leaking classified documents on Discord that undermine the narrative put forward by the US government that the war in Ukraine was going well. The judge explained the authorities have been unable to find Teixeira’s hard drive, cell phone, or any of the documents he is accused of leaking. The Institute

A delegation of Australian lawmakers will visit Washington later this month to lobby for the freedom of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US and convicted for exposing US war crimes. AWC

Russia

NATO member Romania has strongly denied a Ukrainian claim that a Russian drone detonated in Romanian territory during an overnight bombardment on one of Ukraine’s ports on the Danube River. AWC

Amidst a deluge of corruption scandals, particularly with regards to military graft, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov resigned on Monday. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he will be replaced a day earlier. This comes as some US lawmakers have cited graft as a reason to impose limits on military and financial aid to Kiev for its war with Moscow. The Institute

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and said Moscow would return to the Black Sea grain deal if sanctions against Russia’s agricultural industry are lifted. AWC

On Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said an independent inquiry found no evidence that a Russian cargo ship that docked in South Africa last year was loaded with weapons despite US claims. AWC

NATO members that border Russia and Belarus are afraid that growing opposition to the proxy war in Ukraine inside the United States will put pressure on the Ukrainians to pursue peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Hill reported on Tuesday. AWC

As the proxy war in Ukraine continues raging, people are being killed and wounded by cluster bombs at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world including Syria, according to the Cluster Munition Coalition. The Institute

Korea

South Korea’s intelligence services believe that Russia, China and North Korea are preparing to conduct joint military drills. Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang have all frequently complained about American war games near their borders. The Institute

China

The US and Philippine navies conducted a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, a step that increases the chance of a dangerous encounter between US and Chinese vessels. AWC

Middle East

On Tuesday, the State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas amid a US push to broker a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. AWC

A report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) shows Iran has slowed its enrichment of uranium at 60% purity, The Associated Press reported on Monday. AWC

A senior Iraqi military official speaking to The New Arab said the US has violated the terms of its agreement to maintain a military footprint in Iraq due to the presence of “offensive weapons” at an American base. AWC

Niger

A French source told AFP on Tuesday that France is holding talks with Niger’s post-coup government on the withdrawal of “certain military elements” from the West African country. AWC

Read More

[blogynews]

Unveiling the Shocking Link: Russian Trafficking Ring Targets Unsuspecting Cubans

According to a report by the Cluster Munition Coalition, Ukraine had the highest death toll from cluster munitions in 2022 compared to any other country. The report revealed that nearly 300 people were killed and 600 were wounded by cluster bombs in Ukraine last year. Shockingly, the majority of the victims were civilians, including many children. This alarming situation has been further…

[blogynewz]

Unveiling the Shocking Link: Russian Trafficking Ring Targets Unsuspecting Cubans

According to a report by the Cluster Munition Coalition, Ukraine had the highest death toll from cluster munitions in 2022 compared to any other country. The report revealed that nearly 300 people were killed and 600 were wounded by cluster bombs in Ukraine last year. Shockingly, the majority of the victims were civilians, including many children. This alarming situation has been further…

[blogynewsz]

Unveiling the Shocking Link: Russian Trafficking Ring Targets Unsuspecting Cubans

According to a report by the Cluster Munition Coalition, Ukraine had the highest death toll from cluster munitions in 2022 compared to any other country. The report revealed that nearly 300 people were killed and 600 were wounded by cluster bombs in Ukraine last year. Shockingly, the majority of the victims were civilians, including many children. This alarming situation has been further…

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] A battlefield video circulated on social media appeared to show the destruction of a British Challenger 2 in Ukraine, which would be the first time one of the tanks has been destroyed in combat. More than 900 people were killed or injured by cluster munitions in Ukraine last year amid broad Russian use of the widely banned weapons, propelling global casualty figures to record levels, according to the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). The Kremlin refused to confirm a possible summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which US officials have said they expect. The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate expressed support for continued assistance for Ukraine on Tuesday, as lawmakers returned to Washington facing a tight deadline for passing spending bills. President Joe Biden last month asked Congress to approve about $40bn in additional spending, including $24bn for Ukraine and other international needs, in a test of the country’s willingness to keep supporting Ukraine as it fights Russian invaders. Ukrainian lawmakers voted to restore a requirement that officials declare their assets, a measure sought by the International Monetary Fund, but included a loophole critics say dampens its effect. Russia’s pipeline natural gas exports to the EU may fall to 21 billion cubic metres (bcm) this year, almost two-thirds lower than last year and a more than a six-fold drop from 2021, Russian state bank Veb said in a forecast. Cuba identified an alleged human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting its citizens to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry has said. It was working to dismantle a “trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens living there.” Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, spoke of the intense toll of the war on her family. “This may be a bit selfish, but I need my husband, not a historical figure, by my side … But we stay strong, we have strength both emotionally and physically. And I am sure we will handle it together,” she told the BBC. Russia shot down at least three Ukraine-launched drones early on Tuesday that were targeting the country’s capital, the Russian defence ministry said. The ministry said that its air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions, which border the Moscow region, as well as one closer to the capital, over the Istra district of the Moscow region. Moscow’s two major airports, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo, as well as the Zhukovksy airport, resumed normal operations from 7.30am (04.30 GMT) after a temporary traffic suspension early on Tuesday, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said. Russian air defences also destroyed a Ukrainian aeroplane-style drone over Crimea on Tuesday morning, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not think Ukraine’s decision to appoint a new defence minister would change the nature of the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he was sacking defence minister Oleksii Reznikov and proposed Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar and ex-lawmaker, to replace him. The governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said border guards and security forces had “thwarted” an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage group that tried to cross into Russia. Russia has this year repeatedly reported Ukrainian sabotage attempts on its borders, and sent helicopters to put down a cross-border incursion in the Belgorod region in May. Gen Sergei Surovikin, who had not been publicly seen since Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s abortive mutiny in June, has apparently resurfaced. Ostorozhno Media published a picture, reportedly taken on Monday in Moscow, of the former aerospace commander alongside his wife. [ad_2]

[thebusinesspress]

Ukraine's Rising Human Toll of Cluster Munitions: A Global Perspective

The use of cluster munitions in conflict zones has resulted in devastating consequences for civilian populations. While Syria has long been synonymous with the deadly impact of these weapons, the magnitude of casualties in Ukraine has now surpassed it. The Human Cost in Ukraine: According to a recent report released by the Cluster Munition Coalition, Ukraine witnessed over 300 fatalities and 600…

[ai-beyend-beyond-boundaries]

The US sent cluster munitions to Ukraine but activists still seek to bolster a treaty banning them

GENEVA — Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions are striving to prevent erosion in support for the deal after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against Russia. Advocacy groups in the Cluster Munitions Coalition released their latest annual report on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting next…

[cyberbenb]

Politico: Western partners have so far failed to agree on F-16 training plan for Ukraine

Western partners have not yet agreed on a plan to instruct Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, according to a Politico article published on July 25, which cites U.S. officials.

So far, no country in the Western fighter jet coalition has publicly committed aircraft to support the training and no final decision on plans for the program has been made, despite hopes that it would start this summer.

At the Vilnius NATO summit earlier in July, Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov signed a memorandum with 11 countries outlining the F-16 training terms for Ukrainian pilots.

“I’m especially grateful to Denmark and the Netherlands for their outstanding leadership in this process,” the defense minister said on July 11.

According to Politico’s sources, one idea that has been discussed is to send Ukrainian pilots to the U.S. to be trained at an Air National Guard unit in Arizona. The base already trains foreign partners on how to operate F-16s.

An alternative idea is to send U.S. pilots to Europe to train Ukrainian pilots at a European base.

Politico added that Draken International, an aerospace contractor, has recruited retired military pilots to train Ukrainians in a facility being set up in Romania as a regional F-16 training center.

On July 21, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year.

“However, we do not believe that F-16s alone can alter the situation on the battlefield,” Kirby said, adding that Ukraine has an immediate need for a greater quantity of artillery munitions.

On July 17, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that U.S. President Joe Biden “has given a green light” to allow European countries to launch the much-anticipated training for Ukrainian pilots to use F-16 fighter jets.

However, export restrictions mean that the U.S. still needs to “formally approve the transfer of associated training materials, such as instruction manuals and flight simulators,” according to Politico.

Sullivan said that they are awaiting the set-up of the necessary training infrastructure from European partners.

A Politico source added that, although Ukrainian pilots will be flying by the end of 2023, “an actual F-16 with Ukrainian colors” is not likely before the spring of 2024.

How controversial cluster munitions give Ukraine needed punch during counteroffensive

Ukraine has begun using American cluster munitions in the field and is doing so effectively, according to the White House. “They are using them appropriately,” National Security Spokesman John Kirby said on July 21. “They’re using them effectively, and they are actually having an impact on Russia’s…

The Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov