The U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition condemns the latest transfer of international-banned cluster munitions from the United States to Ukraine announced October 16, 2024. This is the seventh US transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine since July 2023 and it comes 21 days after a sixth transfer was announced.
“The U.S. seems to be doing all it can to transfer its stocks of obsolete cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite repeated warnings about the risk of civilian harm and long-term humanitarian impact,” said Sera Koulabdara of Legacies of War, Chair of the U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition. “Cluster munitions have been prohibited by a majority of the world’s countries so it’s deeply dismaying to see U.S. actions that run counter to the norm against these weapons.”
The first five transfer announcements were for U.S. cluster munitions delivered by 155mm artillery projectiles and by ballistic missiles (ATACMS). Yet, the type of cluster munitions announced on September 25 and October 16 were not specified by the State Department or the Department of Defense announcements, despite multiple requests for clarity and greater transparency.
The Cluster Munition Coalition is dismayed that the Biden Administration, and in particular the State Department and Department of Defense, have refused to answer basic questions regarding the types of cluster munitions being transferred let alone the quantities, failure rates, and transit points for its cluster munition transfers.
On September 25, the U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition wrote to President Biden to urge him to revise U.S. cluster munitions policy and move the United States to align with the core provisions of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which provides the framework for their eradication.A total of 124 countries have signed or ratified the convention, including 24 NATO member states.
On September 13, 2024, countries that have ratified the convention collectively “condemned any use of cluster munitions by any actor” and found that “any perceived military utility is outweighed by the harm that they cause.” The countries expressed “grave concern at the significant number of civilian casualties resulting from the repeated and well documented use of cluster munitions” since 2021.
Cluster munitions can be fired from the ground by artillery, rockets, missiles, and mortar projectiles, or dropped by aircraft. They open in the air to disperse multiple submunitions or bomblets over a wide area. Many submunitions fail to explode on initial impact, leaving duds that can indiscriminately injure and kill like landmines for years, until they are cleared and destroyed.
The U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition is a coalition of non-governmental organizations working to achieve a comprehensive U.S. ban on cluster munitions as well as U.S. accession to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which 124 countries have signed or ratified. Our coalition also calls for sustained U.S. government financial support for the clearance of cluster munition remnants and assistance for victims of the weapons.
Experts for Contact:
Sera Koulabdara, sera@legaciesofwar.org, Chair, US Cluster Munition Coalition and CEO, Legacies of War
Mary Wareham, wareham@hrw.org, Deputy Crisis, Conflict and Arms Director, Human Rights Watch
Ursala Knudsen-Latta, uknudsen-latta@fcnl.org, Legislative Director for Peacebuilding Policy, Friends Committee on National Legislation