USA To Supply Banned Cluster Munitions To Ukraine

Rest Of The World | Human Rights July 8, 2023

The US administration that has been preaching human rights to others, has announced that it will supply Ukraine with cluster munitions alias cluster bombs, to fuel further the ongoing bloody war there. The announcement that was made on July 7, 2023 and aired worldwide by various media outlets, comes as Ukraine's counteroffensive intended to retake all territories captured and annexed by Russia, has failed to deliver any significant outcome on the battlefield, almost 2 months after it was launched.

The US administration in its announcement, rationalised the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine saying that the munitions that are banned in over 120 countries including some NATO countries, will help change significantly the current poor performance of Ukraine in its counteroffensive endeavor. Whether that will happen is highly doubtful. We will tell you why.

That is because of the following two facts.

First, Russia has cluster munitions too, and is said to have used them already in Ukraine albeit at small scale. Second, Ukraine also has cluster munitions from previous stockpiles originating from other sources and have like Russia reportedly used them in the ongoing war at small scale. So, given these facts, what the US supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine will do is simply triggering escalation hence large scale use of the banned lethal weapons by both Russia and Ukraine in the ongoing war. Like in USA, cluster munitions are not banned in Russia and Ukraine.

Large scale use of cluster munitions by the warring parties will not only make the war bloodier with increasing civilian casualties but will also result in increased contamination of Ukraine with numerous unexploded submunitions alias bomblets that will pose great danger to lives of civilians especially children after the end of the war.

The controversial decision by USA to supply banned cluster munitions to Ukraine has been lambasted and condemned by many human rights groups worldwide, as well as the UN Secretary General.

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