{UAH} Ki- Moon on UPDF's use of Cluster bombs in South Sudan

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has warned South Sudan warring parties against using deadly cluster bombs that extend harm to unsuspecting civilians.

By Honeywell Dickens Okello 5 hours 52 minutes ago

Bomb clusters were found along Juba-Bor road

“The Secretary-General condemns the use in the South Sudan conflict of cluster bombs, remnants of which were found last week by the United Nations Mine Action Service, on the Juba-Bor road, Jonglei State,” reads a statement from UN. 

“The Secretary-General notes with deep concern the reports of ongoing fighting and skirmishes in parts of Unity and Upper Nile States.”

He reiterates the necessity for the parties to implement fully the Agreements on Cessation of Hostilities and on the Status of Detainees signed on 23 January, and to cooperate fully with the IGAD Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, which the United Nations stands ready to support.

What is a cluster bomb?

A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions.

Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicles.

Other cluster munitions are designed to destroy runways or electric power transmission lines, disperse chemical or biological weapons, or to scatter land mines.

Some submunition-based weapons can disperse non-munitions, such as leaflets.

Because cluster bombs release many small bomblets over a wide area they pose risks to civilians both during attacks and afterwards.

During attacks, the weapons are prone to indiscriminate effects, especially in populated areas.

Unexploded bomblets can kill or maim civilians and/or unintended targets long after a conflict has ended, and are costly to locate and remove.

Cluster munitions are prohibited for those nations that ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions, adopted in Dublin, Ireland in May 2008.

The Convention entered into force and became binding international law upon ratifying states on 1 August 2010, six months after being ratified by 30 states. 

Currently, a total of 112 states had signed the Convention and 83 of those have ratified it.

 Ban welcomes talks

Meanwhile, Ban also welcomed the start yesterday of the South Sudan political talks in Addis Ababa between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in opposition, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

“The Secretary-General reiterates the importance of national political dialogue, with the participation of all South Sudanese political and civil society representatives, including all senior SPLM detainees.” 

“The Secretary-General also calls on all parties to respect the lifesaving work and ensure unhindered freedom of movement of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and of all humanitarian workers.” 

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