Cluster Munitions

18 Jul 2023 Cluster Munitions

This article covers “Daily Current Affairs” and the topic details “Cluster Munitions”. The topic “Cluster Munitions” has relevance in the “Defence and International Relations” section of the UPSC CSE exam.

For Prelims: 

What are cluster munitions? 

For Mains:

GS2:  International Treaties and Agreements, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.

Why in the news?

Recent headlines have highlighted the continued use of cluster munitions. In regards to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia emphasized that Russia possesses an ample supply of these munitions and maintains the right to employ them if they are deployed against Russian forces. This was in response to Ukraine’s announcement that it had obtained cluster bombs from the US. 

Definition of Cluster Munitions: 

• According to the Convention on Cluster Munition, Cluster munitions are conventional explosive devices specifically created to disperse smaller explosive submunitions weighing under 20 kilograms.
• The ban on cluster munitions applies to both the container and the explosive submunitions it contains.
• Dispensers fixed to aircraft that release or disperse explosive submunitions, known as explosive bomblets, are included under the ban.
• The convention excludes munitions designed for flares, smoke, pyrotechnics, or chaff, as well as those designed for electrical or electronic effects.
• Various delivery systems like warships, aircraft, artillery, or rocket launchers have the ability to launch different types of munitions, including both banned cluster munitions and non-banned unitary munitions.
• The Convention on Cluster Munitions does not prohibit any specific delivery system, meaning States Parties are not obligated to remove or destroy them.

Function of Cluster Munitions:

• These weapons are intended to cause widespread harm, targeting both humans and infrastructure indiscriminately over a large area. 
• They can be deployed by aircraft or launched through projectiles that scatter multiple bomblets during flight.
• Unfortunately, many of these submunitions do not detonate upon impact and remain on the ground, often concealed and difficult to detect, posing a long-lasting threat to civilians even after conflicts have ended. 

Challenges Associated with Cluster Munitions: 

• Cluster munitions pose significant challenges, including the violation of international humanitarian law through their indiscriminate harm to civilians and civilian objects. 
• They have a high failure rate, leaving behind unexploded ordnance that continues to endanger lives and safety. 
• Moreover, these weapons contaminate vast areas for extended periods, rendering them unfit for human use and placing burdens on healthcare systems and economies in affected nations.

Use of Cluster Munitions in Ukraine

• Russian forces have been reported to use cluster bombs in Ukraine, as confirmed by Ukrainian government leaders, observers, and humanitarian groups.
• Human rights groups have also accused Ukraine of using cluster bombs during the conflict.
• Instances of Russian cluster bomb attacks were documented in various locations, including near a preschool in Okhtyrka and multiple cluster attacks in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
• During March, urban areas were subjected to a Russian missile and drone assault, which included a continuous bombardment in Bakhmut located in the eastern Donetsk region.
• Shelling and missile strikes hit the Ukrainian-held city of Kostiantynivka, resulting in injuries and hospitalizations of at least four individuals.

Historical Usage of Cluster Munitions: 

• During the Afghanistan War in 2001, cluster bombs played a significant role for the United States. 
• The US last employed cluster bombs during the conflict with Iraq in 2003. 
• In the Syrian civil war, Russian-supplied Syrian government troops frequently utilized cluster munitions. 
• Israel also deployed cluster bombs in civilian areas during the 2006 war with Hezbollah in south Lebanon. 
• The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen faced criticism for their use of cluster bombs in their conflict against the Houthi rebels.

Convention on Cluster Munitions: 

• The Cluster Munitions Convention is a legally binding international agreement adopted by the UN that outlawed the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
• It establishes a framework for cooperation and assistance to ensure proper support for survivors and affected communities, clearance of contaminated areas, risk reduction education, and destruction of stockpiles. 
• The convention was adopted in Dublin, Ireland, in 2008, and was open for signature in Oslo, Norway. It entered into force in 2010 after receiving the required 30 ratifications. To date, 110 countries have ratified the convention, and 13 others have signed it.
• Ratifying countries commit to never using cluster munitions, as well as refraining from developing, producing, acquiring, retaining, stockpiling, or transferring these weapons. 
• Notably, India, the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, and Israel, among others, have not signed or ratified the convention. 

Role of the Cluster Munition Coalition: 

• The Cluster Munition Coalition is an international civil society initiative committed to eliminating cluster munitions, reducing casualties, and putting an end to the suffering caused by these weapons.
• The Cluster Munition Monitor is a collaborative project of the Cluster Munition Coalition, Human Rights Watch, and Landmine Action. It publishes an annual report that provides comprehensive information on the status of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, as well as on the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions.

Sources: 

Vladimir Putin says Russia has stockpiled cluster bombs and reserves right to use them in Ukraine – The Hindu 

Yojna daily current affairs eng med 18th July 2023

Q1. With reference cluster munitions, consider the following statements: 

1. The Convention on Cluster Munitions does not prohibit any specific delivery system.
2. The cluster munitions have a minimal failure rate. 
3. The ban on cluster munitions applies to both the container and the explosive submunitions it contains.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only 

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Answer: (c) 

Q2. Consider the following countries:

1. India
2. Afghanistan
3. Russia
4. Ukraine 
5. Canada
6. United Kingdom

How many of the abovementioned countries have signed and ratified the Convention on Cluster Munition?

(a) Only one 

(b) Only two 

(c) Only three 

(d) Only Four 

Answer: (c)

Q3. Explain the impact of cluster munitions used in the Ukraine war. Discuss the consequences for civilians and the environment, as well as the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Gaurav N