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ordnance claimed the lives of 4,094 people in war. One example is the Kosovo region of
Serbia and Montenegro. Since the end of
the conflict in June 1999, clearance agencies
have removed or destroyed more than 54,000
pieces of ordnance. Unfortunately, clearance
came too late for many. In the year following
the end of the conflict, explosive remnants of
war killed or injured nearly 500 people. Several
international peacekeepers were also killed or
injured by unexploded ordnance.
which contains from dozens to hundreds of sub- timing and choice of victim as landmines.
NATO estimated that 10 per cent of the cluster- stantial risk of significant numbers of civilians
bomb submunitions dropped in Kosovo did not being caught in a submunitions attack, particularly
explode, thus leaving roughly 30,000 unexploded in situations where civilians and military targets
submunitions on the ground. Unexploded sub- are in close proximity. The problem of imprecise
munitions caused a disproportionate percentage targeting is exacerbated when bomblets are
of the UXO-related deaths and injuries which dispersed from high altitudes or great distances,
occurred after the fighting. In a study published or from aircraft at high speed.
by the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) in 2000, submunitions and anti-personnel
mines were the leading causes of casualties,
together accounting for 72 per cent of the
casualties (36 per cent each). Anti-vehicle
mines and other unexploded ordnance were
responsible for the remaining 28 per cent.
Cluster-bomb submunitions also more frequently
killed or injured several people in a single
incident.
may contribute to this, by ostracizing disabled risk to children. This may be because these objects
are attractive to examine or play with. They are Chhom, Cambodia
conspicuous, may have an interesting shape and In 1993, 13-year-old Chhay Chhom picked up and shook
are often brightly coloured. Children may be less an unusual item that he had found while grazing his
likely than adults to know that such an object that family’s cattle. The resulting explosion tore off his right
they come across is explosive. Even when they forearm and punctured his body with metal fragments.
are aware of the dangers, a desire to show off in The fragments and blast to his face left him completely
front of their peer group may lead children to blind. It is believed that he picked up one of the many
handle explosive devices. Another factor putting pieces of unexploded ordnance still littering Cambodia.
children at higher risk may be that in some rural
communities they are responsible for herding After being carried by his father to the hospital in
animals, a task which involves moving across large Kompong Thom, Chhom’s right hand and forearm were
areas of land. In Kosovo, those killed or injured by surgically amputated and the fragments of metal
cluster submunitions were 5 times more likely to removed from his body. Chhom remained in the hospital
be under the age of 14 than those killed or injured for three months, but they could do nothing to save his
by anti-personnel mines. eyesight.
There are no reliable estimates of the total Because he was blinded, Chhom stopped going to
number of casualties caused by explosive school. Now in his 20’s, he stays at home and cannot walk
remnants of war around the world. The actual far from the house. His parents have rice paddies and
figures may be significantly higher than those cattle, but with his injuries he is unable to work or even to
currently available. help his parents much at home. “I used to have a lot of
friends, especially when I was at school. But now they do
not contact me or come to visit. I have a lot of difficulties,
especially walking. I am in darkness every day and never
John Rodsted/ see any light.”
Cambodia Landmine Action
Edouard Winiger/ICRC
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The direct economic repercussions for the affected
individual and his or her family may include loss of
income combined with the significant additional
cost of short-term and long-term medical care.
Removing ERW on the ground is the most reliable territory or through a third party such as the
way of eliminating the risk that these weapons UN, international agencies or non-govern-
pose to civilian populations. Unfortunately, mental organizations.
clearance is a costly and dangerous undertaking
which often requires specialized technical train- While it is general practice in modern warfare
ing, expensive equipment and considerable time. for the parties to be responsible for clearing
ERW in the territory under their control after the
Clearing cluster-bomb and other submunitions fighting has ended, the question of each party’s
is a particularly difficult task. They are often responsibility for clearing its ordnance from
dropped or fired in large numbers, and there- other territories had never before been
fore constitute one of the main causes of the clarified. Often, those in control of territory
ERW problem in areas where they have been contaminated by ERW lack the capacity to clear
used. Submunitions can penetrate the soil by the weapons themselves or the means to
up to 50 centimetres and can thus be difficult to obtain assistance to do so. The result of this
locate. Their fuses are extremely sensitive and situation is civilian death and injury.
may have become unstable, so they cannot be
removed for destruction or made safe but must The Protocol signals an important development
be destroyed individually in situ. in this respect. Each party must take steps to
facilitate the clearance of any of its ordnance
• Provide technical, material or financial assis- that have become ERW beyond its borders. To
tance to facilitate the removal of ERW that is fulfil this obligation it may, for instance, provide
left over from its operations and is located in the other party with clearance equipment,
areas it does not control. This assistance may be engage NGOs or other competent organiza-
provided directly to the party in control of the tions to conduct clearance operations, or
Cluster-bomb submunitions.
Giorgi, Georgia
Giorgi, a 17-year-old boy, and his relatives were enjoying the was shocked by the number of metal fragments he had to
summer vacation at their grandmother’s house in eastern remove from my cousin’s eyes. Fortunately, the operation was
Georgia. One morning, one of Giorgi’s young cousins found successful and my cousin is now OK. As for myself, the doc-
something which looked like a large bullet. tors had to amputate my left hand. Later, I was fitted with an
artificial hand at an ICRC orthopaedic centre. I once dreamed
Giorgi recognized it as a piece of UXO. He had seen similar of being a good wrestler, but now the dream is over.”
items in the woods surrounding the former Russian military
base near his village. Hunters and other people from the
area used to cut them up in order to remove the gunpowder
and sell the shells as scrap metal in the local market. Due to
severe economic conditions in Georgia, many people living
near former military bases are still involved in this “business”.
Universal adherence and full implementation of the Protocol’s rules can save Afghanistan, John Rodsted
the lives of those forced to live amidst explosive remnants of war.
The following are additional sources of information on explosive remnants of war: