A Syrian man shows a cluster bomb, that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions, in the northern Syrian town of Taftanaz, in the Idlib province. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Mon 10 July 2023:
China issued a warning on Monday in response to the United States’ approval of the shipping of cluster munitions to Ukraine, stating that such a transfer could result in “humanitarian problems.”
Washington’s decision drew “widespread attention from the international community, with many countries expressing opposition”, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
But she stopped short of condemning the approval outright, instead noting that “the irresponsible transfer of cluster munitions can lead to humanitarian problems”.
“We should fairly manage humanitarian concerns and legitimate military and security needs, and maintain a prudent and restrained attitude towards the transfer of cluster munitions,” she added.
Cluster bombs have been banned by 113 countries around the world.
They are particularly controversial because they are indiscriminate and the bomblets they carry are often widely dispersed and continue to maim and kill civilians long after the initial attack.
Neither China nor the United States are signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use of weapons.
HALF OF GLOBAL CASUALTIES FROM CLUSTER BOMB WERE IN SYRIA IN 2020, REPORT REVEALS
Russia also has not signed the treaty, and its own use of cluster bombs in Ukraine and Syria has drawn criticism.
According to the publication released by the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) in September 2021, cluster bomb casualties in Syria resulted in a staggering 52 per cent of all similar casualties around the world last year, with 44 per cent of those Syrian injured being children.
The report, which monitors the use of cluster weapons globally, stated: “Syria is the only country to have experienced continued use of these weapons since 2012…causing immense human suffering both directly from attacks and from explosive remnants left behind.”
Humanitarian groups have strongly condemned the US decision to supply cluster munitions, which are banned across a large part of the world and can go undetonated, potentially endangering civilians for years to come.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
______________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
