Fatal Footprint- HI Report on Cluster Munitions Casualties-2

8/7/2019 Fatal Footprint- HI Report on Cluster Munitions Casualties-2

1/56

Fatal Footprint:The Global Human Impactof Cluster Munitions

Preliminary Report,

November 2006Handicap International


2/56


3/56

Fatal Footprint: The Global Human Impact of Cluster Munition / 3

Table of Contents 2

Acknowledgments 5

Abbreviations and Acronyms 6

Introduction 7

Methodology and Research Team 9

Focus: Southeast Asia 11

CAMBODIA 11LAO PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 13VIETNAM 15

Focus: Africa 17

CHAD 17

ERITREA 18ETHIOPIA 18SIERRA LEONE 19SUDAN 19

Focus: Southeast Europe 21

ALBANIA 21BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA 22CROATIA 22KOSOVO 23MONTENEGRO 26SERBIA 26

Focus:Commonwealth of Independent States 27

CHECHNYA/RUSSIAN FEDERATION 27TAJIKISTAN 27

Focus: Greater Middle East andNorth Africa Region 29

AFGHANISTAN 29IRAQ 31KUWAIT 34

LEBANON 34SAUDI ARABIA 38SYRIA 38WESTERN SAHARA/MOROCCO 38

Conclusion 41LESSON 1:Data Collection, the Devil is in the Detail 41LESSON 2:Cluster Munitions Cause DisproportionateLong-Term Civilian Harm 42LESSON 3:Cluster Submunitions Casualties are YoungMales at Work 43LESSON 4:Immediate and Comprehensive ClearanceReduces Civilian Casualties 43

Tables

TABLE 1: Confirmed Cluster SubmunitionsCasualties in Affected Countries 44

TABLE 2: Status of Casualty Data Collectionin Cluster Submunitions Affected Countries 45

Selected Biography 46

Notes 48

Table of ContentsTable of Contents


4/56


5/56


AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

his preliminary report was conducted,written and produced by HandicapInternational, with the financial support

of the Government of Norway.

Handicap International (HI) would like toexpress its appreciation to the many mineaction organizations, organizations workingwith people with disabilities, disabled peoplesorganizations and the other individuals andorganizations that provided information, time,resources and expertise for this study.

HI owes special thanks to the cluster sub-munitions and other mine/ERW survivors, fami-lies and communities who shared their experi-ence.

The team values the support of theInternational Campaign to BanLandmines/Landmine Monitor and the ClusterMunition Coalition networks.

It would also like to thank the followingorganizations and individuals for their assis-tance: Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE),Andrew Wells-Dang and Catholic Relief Services(CRS) Vietnam, Cambodia Mine UXO VictimInformation System (CMVIS), Croatian Mine

Action Center (CROMAC), Clear PathInternational (CPI), HIB-Cambodia, JulienTemple, Reuben Nogueria-McCarthy and EdithKaram from UNICEF, the Iraqi Health and SocialCare Organization (IHSCO), John C. Brown fromVVAF Iraq, Landmine Action UK (LMA UK), theLandmine Resource Center staff (LMRC), theNational Demining Office (NDO) and the UNMine Action Coordination Center for SouthLebanon (MACC-SL) in Lebanon, Mines AdvisoryGroup Iraq (MAG), the National Authority forProsthetics and Orthotics (NAPO) and the UNMine Action Office in Sudan (UNMAO), theNational Demining Office in Chad (HCND), theOffice of the Kosovo Protection CorpsCoordinator (OKPCC) EOD Management Unit,Rosy Cave at the United Nations Institute for

Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Steve Goose,Mark Hiznay and Bonnie Docherty at HumanRights Watch (HRW), UN Mission in Ethiopiaand Eritrea Mine Action Coordination Centre(UNMEE MACC) and Zamanuddin Noori andOlivier Moeckli of the International Committeeof the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan, as wellas several people who provided anonymousinformation.

T


6/56

6 / Fatal Footprint: The Global Human Impact of Cluster Munitions

AMAE Albanian Mine Action ExecutiveAO Aviatsionnaya Oskolochnyang

(Aviation Fragmentation)ARCS Afghan Red Crescent SocietyBHMAC Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine

Action CenterBLU Bomb Live UnitCBU Cluster Bomb UnitCBR Community-Based RehabilitationCCW Convention on Certain

Conventional WeaponsCEM Combined Effects MunitionCMC Cluster Munition CoalitionCMVIS Cambodia Mine UXO Victim

Information SystemCPI Clear Path InternationalCROMAC Croatian Mine Action Center

Dispenser Container or bomb from whichsubmunitions are ejectedDPICM Dual-Purpose Improved

Conventional MunitionsEOD Explosive Ordnance DisposalERW Explosive Remnants of WarFootprint Extent of surface area covered by a

cluster munitions strikeGICHD Geneva International Centre for

Humanitarian DeminingHI Handicap InternationalHRW Human Rights WatchICBL International Campaign to Ban

LandminesICRC International Committee of the

Red CrossIDP Internally Displaced PersonIHSCO Iraqi Health and Social Care

OrganizationIMSMA Information Management System

for Mine ActionKISR Kuwait Institute for Scientific

ResearchLMA UK Landmine Action UKLIS Landmine Impact Survey

MAC-MACC Mine Action Center/Mine ActionCell - Mine Action CoordinationCentre

MAG Mines Advisory GroupMCC Mennonite Central Committee

MRE Mine Risk EducationNATO North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNDO National Demining OfficeNGO Non-Governmental OrganizationNMAA National Mine Action AuthorityNRA National Regulatory AuthorityOKPCC Office of Kosovo Protection Corps

CoordinatorPTAB Protivotankovaya Aviatsionnaya

Bomba (Anti-tank Aviation Bomb)TMAC Tajik Mine Action CellUN United Nations

UNDP United Nations DevelopmentProgrammeUNICEF United Nations Childrens FundUNIDIR United Nations Institute for

Disarmament ResearchUNMACA UN Mine Action Center for

AfghanistanUNMIK United Nations Mission in KosovoUNOPS United Nations Office for Project

ServicesUNMAO United Nations Mine Action OfficeUNMEE United Nations Mission in Ethiopia

and Eritrea

UXO Unexploded OrdnanceVVAF Vietnam Veterans of America

Foundation

Abbreviations and AcronymsAbbreviations and Acronyms


7/56


IntroductionIntroduction

he July-August 2006 Lebanon conflictdrew widespread attention to the long-term impact of cluster munitions on civil-

ian populations. Calls for a ban of this indis-criminate weapon are becoming louder. Onecountry Belgium has already taken this step,adopting legislation supported by HandicapInternational, and initiatives are underway in atleast eight other countries.

As in the case of Lebanon, previous usage ofcluster munitions has sparked eloquent verbalcondemnations and has been at the forefront ofintermittent international interest and activismsince the first extensive utilization in South-east Asia in the 1960-70s. Since then like theitems themselves the issue of cluster muni-

tions and their impact lay largely dormant untilthe outbreak of the Balkan and Gulf conflicts.However, for more than 30 years, states failedto address the lasting humanitarian impact ofcluster munitions.

More than half a century has passed since thedesign and first use of cluster munitions.Ensuing decades have seen both the number ofcasualties mount, and the use of these muni-tions proliferate. Spreading through new con-flicts to destroy lives, disrupt communities, and

deny vulnerable populations access toresources needed for economic recovery, clus-ter munitions simultaneously assure both acostly and lethal legacy of war for post-conflictgenerations.

Cluster munitions are imprecise weapons,designed to strike a greater surface area thanmany other conventional weapons by dispers-ing smaller yet highly lethal explosive submuni-tions. The cluster submunitions scattered onthe surface create a footprint. The footprint ofa single cluster munitions strike is often hun-

dreds of meters wide, and more than 1,000 sub-munitions can be dispensed at a time.Oftentimes, targets are struck more than once

to ensure success, creating wider and overlap-ping contamination. Within the footprint, sub-munitions indiscriminately kill and injure mili-tary targets and civilians.

Even when accepting the low official failurerates of optimal test conditions, large numbersof submunitions fail to explode upon impact. Inreality, failure rates are often significantly high-er due to soil and weather conditions, as well asincorrect delivery and frequent malfunctioningof self-destruct and self-neutralization mecha-nisms, as was seen in Lebanon. Consequently,a fatal footprint remains until all deadly debrisis cleared and the actual strike is only the start-ing point of the long-lasting harm the weaponcan cause.

Yet, unlike the initial blasts, the effects of unex-ploded submunitions do seem more discrimi-nate; affecting many more civilians than mili-tary personnel, killing and injuring children atplay, families returning after war and youngmen and women in the course of their dailylives, as well as those clearing failed submuni-tions and peacekeepers.

Unlike many instances of production, stockpil-ing and combat use, the human impact during

and after the conflict have not been routinelyrecorded nor publicized. As a result, the fullscope of the problem is largely unknown andundervalued.

Fatal Footprint: The Global Human Impact ofCluster Munitions is an unprecedented prelimi-nary effort to document the impact of clustermunitions on the lives of people in 23 countriesand areas that are not internationally recog-nized, which are confirmed to be affected bycluster munitions. Despite its preliminary char-acter, this report is the first comprehensive

study systematically analyzing the impact ofcluster munitions on civilian populationsthrough casualty data. It utilizes the limited

T


8/56


information available on casualties of clustersubmunitions to track the human impact fromthe initial cluster munitions strikes, over theshort-term post-strike emergency phase, to thepost-conflict period, which can affect the livesof individuals, families and communities forgenerations. By identifying which people

become casualties, when, how and why, theresearch goes beyond simply assessingwhether cluster munitions are indiscriminateand excessively injurious.

Fatal Footprintis part of an ongoing project thatseeks to improve understanding of the impactof cluster munitions by documenting short-,mid- and long-term casualties, cumulativeeffects of disability, mortality and resourcedenial on families and communities. It also pro-vides insight into the items and activities pos-ing the greatest threats in affected areas. Thiswork has been made possible with the supportof the Government of Norway, which has alsotaken a lead and pledged to work towards aninternational ban on cluster bombs.

At the international level, the Third ReviewConference of the Convention on Prohibitions orRestrictions on the Use of Certain ConventionalWeapons, to be held from 6 to 17 November2006, provides a unique opportunity forMember States to acknowledge and tackle thelasting human impact of cluster munitions and

hasten the establishment of a legally bindinginstrument on these weapons.

Brussels, 2 November 2006


9/56


Initial inquiries clearly indicated the needto analyze data of all casualties caused by clus-ter submunitions, including both those people

killed and injured as a result of cluster muni-tions strikes and people involved in incidentsresulting from submunitions as remnants ofwar.

The study outline and preparations start-ed in April 2006 and the research resulting inthis preliminary report was conducted frommid-July to mid-October 2006 by a team ofresearchers, information providers and expertswith experience in mine action, mine victimassistance, data collection and post-conflictsocieties. A final report is scheduled to appear

in 2007 as part of a larger project.Initially, background information on clus-

ter munitions use, technical specifications, aswell as existing published information on clus-ter submunitions casualties was compiled inone place and studied. Following that, a broadrange of research methods, including analysisof publications, email, telephone and face-to-face interviews (at international forums) wereused. A data gathering and management sys-tem was developed to store, streamline andcorrelate casualty data, strike data and techni-

cal specifications. In addition, a field trip toLebanon was undertaken from 30 August to 10September in order to conduct first-handresearch. Information from anterior field tripsto, among others, Cambodia (April 2006),Kosovo (October 2005), and Afghanistan(August 2006) was also included. One teammember is based in Vietnam and experienceand resources within the Cluster MunitionCoalition and the International Campaign toBan Landmines were employed.

Tailor-made queries were drawn up for rel-

evant experts and information providers sup-plying both casualty data and correlating strikedata. The results of these enquiries, as well asother responses, were compiled, standardized,

andicap International has utilized its fieldand research experience in the area ofvictim assistance and data collection to

provide a better understanding of theconsequences of cluster munitions use on peo-ple in 23 contaminated countries and areas notinternationally recognized.

The report takes a regional approach,comprising individual country profiles, whiletaking into account both the wider regional andhistorical context and country-specific charac-teristics of cluster munitions used. A fewselected cases of cluster munitions use andsubsequent human impact have been elaborat-ed for their relevance with regard to the scale ofcontamination, historical and contemporarysignificance, as well as various ways of dealingwith and recording post-strike impact. Theresearch has been divided into five regions:Africa, the Commonwealth of IndependentStates, the Greater Middle East and North AfricaRegion, Southeast Asia, and SoutheasternEurope. Three countries in the Southeast Asiaregion, three countries in the Greater MiddleEast and North Africa Region, and Kosovo werechosen as key cases for their geographical, his-torical and contamination diversity and paral-lels.

Each country profile contains a shortbackground section explaining cluster muni-tions use and contamination to describe thepotential extent of unexploded cluster submu-nitions pollution. Secondly, the availability andcompleteness of casualty data and injury sur-veillance mechanisms are assessed in order todefine the scope of underreporting. Thirdly,available casualty data are presented and ana-lyzed to the fullest extent possible to draw acasualty profile to be used in assistance plan-ning and to be taken into account when consid-

ering the unwanted effects of cluster munitionsuse. A selection of survivor testimonies isincluded to show the human face of cluster sub-munitions casualties.

Methodology and ResearchTteamMethodology and Research Team

H


10/56


crosschecked and analyzed. Where necessary,queries were refined and missing data was pur-sued by consulting known sources to obtain themost complete information possible. The studyemployed quantitative analysis of the statisticaldata available from existing data collection sys-tems. The researchers extracted information on

specific numbers of casualties, age, gender,groups most at risk, time, location, activity andnature of the incident, for each country profile.

The study aims to detail the human impactand the scope of the problem to increase thepossibilities for improved, more effective andvaried assistance for the victims, i.e. the affect-ed individual, his or her family and affectedcommunities. Handicap International sections,in partnership with other civil society groups inrelevant European and cluster munitions-affect-ed countries, will disseminate the Fatal

Footprintstudy to provide systematic informa-tion and to support others in preventing similarincident from occurring in the future.

By looking at data collection mechanismsand examining the degree to which they aresystematic and effective and how comprehen-sive the resulting data is, Fatal Footprintidenti-fied areas where information collection anddatabase resources are in need of support.

At the preliminary report stage, the FatalFootprintstudy has already compiled the most

comprehensive publicly available data oncasualties of cluster submunitions. But theauthors acknowledge required information ismissing. They call on relevant sources to pro-

vide casualty and strike data in their posses-sion so that the humanitarian needs generatedby cluster munitions can be addressed moreadequately.

Research Team

Habbouba Aoun (Coordinator, LandmineResource Center, Balamand University,Beirut, Lebanon) was co-researcher for theLebanon country profile and facilitated thefield mission to Lebanon.

Stan Brabant (Head, Policy Unit, Handicap

International, Brussels, Belgium) assisted inmany aspects of the reports production anddevelopment, and together with KatleenMaes and Hugh Hosman developed thevision of the study and defined the researchmethodology.

Patricia Campbell (Victim AssistanceSpecialist, HI-Landmine Monitor, Maputo,Mozambique) conducted backgroundresearch on various countries and issues.

Hugh Hosman (Data ManagementSpecialist, HI, Hue, Vietnam) conductedresearch on Southeast Asia, theCommonwealth of Independent States, sev-eral Balkan countries and was in charge ofdata management, as well as study concep-tion.

Katleen Maes (Victim AssistanceCoordinator, HI, Brussels) conductedresearch on Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanonand was in charge of general coordinationand final editing of the report, as well asstudy conception.

Loren Persi (Specialist Researcher, HI,Prague, Czech Republic) conducted researchon Kosovo, Africa and several countries inthe Greater Middle East and North AfricaRegion.

Yolande Hoornaert and HildegardeVansintjan (HI Communications Departmentand Policy Unit) facilitated the printing anddistribution process.


11/56


The Second Indochina War, which beganin Vietnam, was characterized by high levels ofUS aerial bombardment, which spread to theneighboring countries of Cambodia and the LaoPeoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).

Subsequently, all three countries face varyingdegrees of post-conflict cluster submunitionscasualties and contamination.

CAMBODIA

Key Findings

Differentiation of ERW type casualties,including those caused by cluster submuni-tions, started in September 2006. The exer-cise has, so far, confirmed 120 cluster sub-munitions casualties (29 killed and 91injured).

The total number of cluster submunitionscasualties is unknown, as complete informa-

tion on strike, post-strike and post-conflictcasualties is not available.

From 1969-1973 the United States used awide range of BLU cluster submunitions

Confirmed Casualties: 1998 2006

Total Strike Post- Post-Strike Conflict

Grand Total 120 N/A N/A 120

Injured 91 91Killed 29 29

Unknown Status 0 0

Man 43 43

Woman 12 12

Boy 56 56

Girl 9 9

Military 0 0

Deminer 0 0

Unknown 0 0

Dominant Activity Handling submunitions (70)

Dominant Location Livelihood areas (67)

resulting in an estimated post-strike contam-ination of 1.92 to 5.77 million submunitions.

Use Background and Contamination

The US used cluster munitions inCambodia from 1969-1973 in an attempt tointerdict the flow of supplies on the Ho Chi MinhTrail, as well as Vietnamese regular and irregu-lar forces operating from eastern Cambodia.1

The number of cluster munitions strikes is esti-mated at 17,235.2 Air-delivered submunitionsused include: BLU-3, 18, 24/66, 26/36/59, 49,61, 63/86, and 77, and M28. Of an estimatedtotal of 19.23 million submunitions dispensed,the BLU-26 was the most common at nearly 54percent (10.37 million units), followed by theBLU-24 at 20 percent (3.93 million units) and

the BLU-61 and 63 at 17 percent (3.3 millionunits)3.

Submunitions manufacturers of the peri-od estimated a 10 percent failure rate, but it isnow generally agreed that the actual rate wasapproximately 30 percent because the ord-nance was often not dropped in accordancewith manufacturers specifications.4 Acceptinga low failure rate of 10 percent, at least 1.92 mil-lion submunitions became ERW. However,using the higher rate of 30 percent, initial con-tamination could be as high as 5.77 million sub-

munitions. In optimal condition testing at NellisAir Force Base in 1966, BLU-26 submunitionshad a 26 percent failure rate after deployment.5

But given tree canopy and soil conditions ineastern Cambodia, the failure rate was likely atleast 30 percent resulting in 3.11 million unex-ploded BLU-26s.

Data Collection

Data collection is considered nearly com-plete in Cambodia and the Cambodia Mine UXOVictim Information System (CMVIS) is the defin-

itive source of landmine/ERW casualty data,6containing records on over 62,556 casualtiescollected through the Cambodian Red Crossnetwork and mine action operators.7

Focus: Southeast AsiaFocus: Southeast Asia


12/56


In 2005, CMVIS developed a new data col-lection form for differentiating ERW types,including cluster submunitions, among land-mine/ERW casualties. In September 2006, afinal review process of the new form was under-way to expand the differentiation processthrough training of data collection imple-

menters.8

Casualties and Analysis9

A CMVIS pilot project resulted in detailedrecords for 120 cluster submunitions casualtiesin 64 incidents: 29 killed and 91 injured in 18provinces of Cambodia10 and dated from 1998 to2006. Analysis of available data shows thatmales are most at risk: 83 percent (99 casual-ties) were male; men accounted for 36 percent(43: 16 killed and 27 injured) and boys under 18for 47 percent (56: 10 killed and 46 injured),

respectively, of all cluster submunitions casual-ties. Boys were 86 percent of child casualties;only nine were girls (one killed and eightinjured). Twelve casualties were women (twokilled and 10 injured).

On average 1.8 persons were involved perincident. However, 18 percent of total incidentsinvolved three or more people and accountedfor 39 percent of total cluster submunitionscasualties.

The most common incident activity washandling submunitions at 58 percent of all

casualties (70), followed by doing nothing at26 percent (31), and then livelihood activities at13 percent (16). The most common incidentlocations were livelihood areas (such as ricefields and forests, etc.) at 56 percent (67), in vil-lages at 25 percent (30), and along roads at12.5 percent (15). Handling cluster submuni-tions in livelihood areas accounted for 37 per-cent (44) of all reported casualties. The worstof these incidents occurred on 1 April 2003, inthe village of Chuuk (Krouch Chhmar District,Kampong Cham province), when two men, two

women, a boy, and a girl, ranging in age from 17

to 24, encountered a submunition in a ricepaddy: the girl was killed and the rest wereinjured.

Conflict/Post-Conflict Comparison

All confirmed submunitions casualtiesreported are post-conflict: while specific infor-

mation on civilian and military casualties duringthe conflict is not available, estimates rangefrom as low as 30,000 to as high as 500,000Cambodians killed during the US bombing cam-paigns: how many of these were due to clustermunitions will likely never be known.11

Comparison with Post-Conflict CasualtiesAttributed to Mines and ERW

There was insufficient data with differenti-ation of ERW item type to permit extensive com-

parison of trends among landmine and clustersubmunitions casualties. However, a randomsample of 120 landmine casualties showed atotal of 104 incidents, as opposed to 64 for clus-ter submunitions.12 Further analysis of the sam-ple showed that only 42.5 percent of casualties(51) occurred in livelihood areas and seven per-cent (eight) in villages. Handling a landmineaccounted for only nine percent (11) of land-mine casualties. On average 1.2 people wereinvolved per incident. Only three percent(three) of total landmine incidents involvedthree or more people, and these accounted for

only nine percent (11) of landmine casualties.

Life Experience

In 2005, Choen Ha and two other boyswere playing near their village in KampongSpeu province when they found four steelballs. Each took a turn throwing them,playing marbles. They did not know thatthe balls were BLU-63s, or that they weredangerous. When the third boys turn

came, he struck his mark and one of theitems exploded. One boy died of massiveabdominal injuries from the shrapnel,while the two other boys were injured.

Ha was 17 at the time of the incident nearRol An Beng village and did not finishschool. To pay for medical treatment hisfamily spent their entire life savings.There are eight in his family and Ha is thethird of six children (four boys and twogirls): they are all angry against theAmericans and during the interviewcalled for clearance, destruction of stock-piles, and a ban on the production of clus-ter munitions.13

Handicap International

H

andicapInternational


13/56


LAO PEOPLESDEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Key Findings

Forty-two percent of incidents involve sub-munitions, leading to at least 4,813 con-firmed cluster submunitions casualties.

All recorded casualties are civilians with 57percent resulting from livelihood activities.

From 1964-1973 the United States used awide range of BLU submunitions resulting inan estimated contamination of 20.9 to 62.6million submunitions.


Cluster munitions were used in vast quan-tities by the US from 1964 to 1973 in an attemptto interdict the flow of supplies on the Ho ChiMinh Trail in southern Lao, and in support ofRoyal Lao Government military campaigns inthe north, during the conflict with Vietnam.14

Air-delivered submunitions used include: BLU-3, 7, 18, 24/66, 26/36/59, 42/54, 43, 44, 45, 61,63, 66, 73, and Mk 118.15 The most commonsubmunitions encountered are the BLU-3, 24,26, 42, 61, and 63.16 Of the approximately208.75 million submunitions dispensed, theBLU-26 was the most common at 76 percent(158.79 million units), followed by the Mk 118 atsix percent (13.18 million).18

Accepting low and high failure rates of 10and 30 percent, respectively, between 20.9 and62.6 million cluster submunitions became ERW.

With a failure rate of 26 percent in optimal con-dition testing,19 there were at least 41.3 millionunexploded BLU-26s alone remaining at theend of the war, and 47.6 million given a more



Grand Total 4,813 N/A N/A 4,813Injured 2,165 2,165

Killed 2,521 2,521

Unknown Status 127 127

Man 2,257 2,257

Woman 470 470

Boy 1,654 1,654

Girl 275 275

Military 0 0

Deminer 0 0

Unknown 157 157

Dominant Livelihood (2,674), tamperingActivities (809), playing with ERW (571)

Dominant Livelihood areas (2,761),Locations in villages (1,188)

likely 30 percent failure rate. Cluster submuni-tions accounted for 46 percent (319,379 items)of all ERW located and destroyed by UXO Laofrom 1996 to December 2005.20

In August and September 1995, a US mili-tary team visited Lao to examine demining/ERW clearance options and made the following

assessment: Submunitions consist of threetypes: impact fused, time delay fused, and anti-disturbance fused [b]ecause there is no wayto determine the type of fuse they must all betreated as anti-disturbance devices. US doc-trine considers all areas littered with submuni-tions as minefields.21

Data Collection

Data collection is incomplete, since Laohas no nationwide data collection or injury sur-veillance system. However, the National

Regulatory Authority (NRA) has as part of itsmandate to develop and maintain a nationalcasualty surveillance system and has begun theprocess.22

The Handicap International (HI) impactsurvey and UXO Lao are the primary sources ofERW casualty data and together provided indi-vidual records on 11,410 post-conflict casual-ties. Within this total, the HI survey data holds10,639 detailed records, and an additional1,279 who were not interviewed for a total of11,918 reported casualties.23 UXO Lao, which

receives reports of new casualties but does notactively collect data, has records on 870mine/ERW casualties (260 killed and 610injured) from 1999 to December 2005,24 thoughrecords for only 771 detailed records were avail-able.

All data sources in Lao differentiate ERWitem types: for example, in the HI survey therewere only 12 percent of items reported asunknown and the UXO Lao data generallyspecifies the BLU type encountered.

Casualties and Analysis

In total, 4,813 cluster submunitions casu-alties were reported from 1973 to 2006: 2,521killed, 2,165 injured, and 127 whose status wasunknown.25 This is 42 percent of the total 11,410casualties with detailed records. Therefore,based on the extrapolation of an average rate of42 percent cluster submunitions casualtiesamong the 1,279 reported casualties lackingdetailed records, there are likely at least 537additional cluster submunitions casualties.

This leads to an estimated total of 5,350 clustersubmunitions casualties.

Analysis of available data for 4,656 clustersubmunitions casualties (excluding 157 casual-


14/56


ties for whom not all the required details wererecorded) shows that males are most at risk andaccounted for 84 percent (3,911) of all clustersubmunitions casualties, with men represent-ing 48 percent (2,257) and boys 36 percent(1,654), respectively. Boys make up nearly 86percent of child casualties (1,929). Women

accounted for 10 percent (470) and girls for sixpercent (275) of the total.

The most common incident activities wererelated to livelihood (digging, planting, harvest-ing, collecting forest products and cooking) at57 percent (2,674), followed by tampering at 17percent (809), and then playing with ERW at 12percent (571). By far the most common activi-ties for both women and girls were livelihoodareas, accounting for 71 percent (532) of a total745 female casualties; females make up 20 per-cent of casualties engaging in livelihood activi-

ties.Locations where incidents were most like-

ly to occur were livelihood areas (rice fields,forests, streams, etc.) at 59 percent (2,761) andvillages at 26 percent (1,188) of casualties.26

Again, by far the most common incident loca-tion for females were livelihood areas, account-ing for 57 percent (423) of all female casualties.Approximately 39 percent (1,801) of cluster sub-munitions casualties occurred in livelihoodareas and involved livelihood activities, whiletampering in livelihood areas constituted nine

percent (430) of total casualties and playingwith ERW four percent (209).

Comparison with Casualties due toMines/Other ERW

When unknown or unidentified ERW casu-alties are included, cluster submunitions casu-alties averaged 44 percent of all casualties forthe period 1973-1996,27 which was as much asall other ERW and mines together (12 percentunknown). From 1999-2005, this was an aver-age of 42 percent, but in the first four months of2006, it peaked to 72 percent of all recordedcasualties.28

When the item type is known or differenti-ated in data collection, cluster submunitionscasualties made up at least 51 percent of casu-alties between 1999 and 2006, similar to someother affected countries in the region.29

With high number of incidents involvinglivelihood activities that disturb soil or vegeta-tion, in combination with (disturbance fuzed)munitions that have become increasinglyunstable over the decades, cluster submuni-tions are the likely cause of a similar proportionof incidents where the device type is unknown.According to the NRA, annual ERW casualties

are estimated from 200 to 400, so it is likelythat between 80 (at 42 percent) and 200 (at 51percent) per year are cluster submunitionscasualties.30

In the HI national survey, 49 percent of10,639 casualties with detailed records indicat-ed that more than one person was involved in

the incident (5,168). Cluster submunitionsaccounted for 43 percent (2,229) of multiplecasualty incidents, with all other ERW combinedat 47 percent (2,442), and mines at 10 percent(497).31

Cluster submunitions alone accounted for40 percent (1,815) of 4,525 of those injured, andled to the greatest proportion of multipleinjuries amongst all other casualties, with 64percent (706) of 1,109 total multiple injuries.Among all survivors, 68 percent (3,060) hadamputations and three percent (143) were mul-

tiple amputees: cluster submunitions survivorswere 40 percent (1,211) of amputees and 43 per-cent (61) of multiple amputees.32

Life Experience

In 2003, Dam was injured near his home inPhalanexay district when he found andplayed with a BLU-63 submunition. Hisinjuries were typical of many such inci-dents massive abdominal trauma,shrapnel wounds, as well as a leg and an

arm broken by the blast. Evacuated toSavannakhet he received initial treatment,and after two days seemed stable: howev-er, his condition deteriorated as infectionset in. The family had no money to pay fortreatment so HI decided to evacuate Damto Thailand. His father recalled that whenthe boy was ferried across the river hethought he would never see his son aliveagain.

Nearly 12 now, Dam was revisited by HIstaff in September 2006. When ques-

tioned directly about what happened hedid not reply. His father explained thatDam does not remember the event itself instead he has recurring nightmares of theexplosion. But he went on to say that hehad returned to school and is doing well.One thing Dam did have to say was that hetries to avoid ERW, but they are every-where in the fields near the village.33




15/56


VIETNAM

Key Findings

Total post-conflict submunitions casualtiesare estimated at 34,550 to 52,350 1,275are confirmed.

The vast majority of casualties are civiliansdoing livelihood activities at least 50 per-cent of incidents where the device is knownwere caused by submunitions.

From 1965-1973, the United States used awide range of BLU submunitions with an esti-mated contamination of between seven and21.2 million.


Cluster munitions were used by the USfrom 1965-1973 during the conflict in Vietnam.Fifty-five out of 64 provinces were struck withcluster munitions and a number of cities weretargeted, including Hai Phong, Hai Duong,

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and Hue.34

Air-delivereddevice types used include: BLU-3, 24/66,26/36/59, 32, 42/54, 43/44, 59, 61, 63/86, 77,and 87.35 Artillery-delivered cluster munitionswere also used in three provinces.36

US military records show that the level ofall air-delivered munitions in the A Luoi districtof Hue province peaked in 1972 to approximate-ly 120,000, which is nearly half of all ordnancedropped between 1965 and 1973 and aboutthree times the rate of 1971. Cluster munitionsalso accounted for nearly half of the total muni-

tions dropped on the district in the final year ofthe war.37

In total, 413,130 tons of submunitionswere dispensed in Vietnam, 34 percent of what



Grand Total 1,275 N/A N/A 1,275

Injured 557 557

Killed 278 278

Unknown Status 440 440

Man 391 391

Woman 104 104

Boy 278 278

Girl 56 56

Military 5 5

Deminer 1 1

Unknown 440 440

Dominant Livelihood (596)Activities

Dominant Livelihood areas (602)Location

was dropped on Lao, for an estimated 70.9 mil-lion.38 Accepting a low failure rate of 10 percent,more than seven million submunitions becameERW; however, using the higher rate of 30 per-cent, initial contamination could have been 21.2million submunitions.39

Data CollectionCasualty data collection is incomplete, as

Vietnam has no national data collection orinjury surveillance system.40 Project RENEW andClear Path International (CPI) are the primaryoperational sources collecting ERW casualtydata. CPI has shared its new casualty data withRENEW, whose database contains records ofcasualties in Quang Tri province from 1975 to2006. However, detailed full province data wasunavailable from RENEW due to a databaseupdate in progress.41 In both the RENEW and

CPI data, ERW type is differentiated if known.

A survey was conducted in A Luoi districtof Thua-Thien Hue province in 2001, which dif-ferentiated ERW types.42 In 2005, the first phaseof a national landmine/UXO impact survey wasconducted in three provinces, but it is notknown what level of detail was collected andthe November 2005 summary report did not dif-ferentiate casualties per device type.43 CatholicRelief Services (CRS) conducted an MRE base-line study, including casualty data in three dis-tricts and one municipality of Quang Tri in mid-

2006.44


In total, 1,275 cluster submunitions casu-alties were recorded from 1973 to 2006: 278killed, 557 injured, and 440 with unknown sta-tus. At least one was military clearance person-nel.46

An analysis of available data for 835 clus-ter submunitions casualties (excluding 440unknown status casualties) shows that males

are most at risk at 81 percent (675) of all clustersubmunitions casualties. Adult men accountedfor 48 percent (397) and boys 33 percent (278),respectively, of all reported casualties. Boysrepresented 82 percent of 334 child casualties.Women accounted for 12 percent (104) and girlsfor seven percent (56) of the total.

The vast majority of casualties, i.e. 71 per-cent (596), occurred during livelihood activities,followed by playing at six percent (48) and col-lecting war waste at five percent (39).Livelihood activities caused 79 percent of all

female casualties (126).Incidents in livelihood areas (rice fields,

grazing areas, forests, and streams) accountedfor 72 percent (602) of casualties and incidents


16/56


within villages accounted for 12 percent (99).More than three quarter of female casualties(122) occurred in livelihood areas.

Nearly 40 percent (329) of all cluster sub-munitions casualties reported that they wereinvolved in an incident causing multiple casual-ties.

Comparison with Post-Conflict CasualtiesAttributed to Mines and ERW

Submunitions caused 33 percent (1,275)of all recorded landmine/ERW casualties

(3,914), and accounted for 50 percent where theitem was known in available data from 1973 to2006 for Vietnam. Between 2003 and 2005, therate of casualties known to be caused by clustersubmunitions was 55 percent. This correspondsclosely with the rate of cluster submunitionscasualties among ERW casualties generally inboth Lao and Tajikistan.47 Therefore, it is likelythat cluster submunitions cause a similar pro-portion of incidents where the device type isunknown.

According to estimates provided by the

Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairsthere were 104,701 civilian landmine/ERWcasualties between 1975 and 2000, 38,849 peo-ple were killed and 65,852 injured.48 If clustersubmunitions casualties constituted 33 to 50percent of total recorded casualties, they couldaccount for an estimated 34,550 to 52,350 civil-ian casualties between 1975 and 2000.

Without nationwide data collection, insuf-ficient data exists to establish a reliable annuallandmine/ERW casualty rate, but estimatesindicate that there are between 1,200 and 3,000

each year.49 Taking the low estimate intoaccount, this could mean there are between396 and 600 cluster munitions casualties annu-ally in Vietnam.

Conflict/Post-Conflict Comparison

Given the estimate of nearly four millionVietnamese civilians and 1.5 million militarypersonnel killed during 30 years of conflict,50

and nearly a decade of use of cluster munitionsin 55 of 64 provinces, a significant portion ofthose casualties were certainly caused by clus-

ter submunitions. However, the extent of thesecasualties will likely never be known.

Life Experience51

Ho Van Lai was injured in a cluster submu-nitions incident in August 2000, whichkilled two cousins and slightly wounded asibling. The boys were playing among thepine trees near their homes, where the vil-lage children often play, when they foundwhat looked like a small metal ball in thesandy soil a ball which exploded min-utes later as they were kicking it back andforth.

Lai was blinded in one eye and lost partialvision in the other. He lost a leg, part ofthe remaining foot, one hand and thethumb of the other, and was terriblyscarred by the blast. After his initial recov-ery, he faced three surgical revisions to befitted for prosthetics, spending months inrecovery and rehabilitation. As with manyyoung boys, playing football was Laispassion, and something he thought hewould never be able to do again.Eventually he returned to school andsome three years later was again seenplaying football.

C

learPathInternational

C

learPathInternational


17/56


Cluster munitions use in Africa demon-strates that even limited use of the weapon canhave a significant human impact. However, theextent of the threat of unexploded submuni-tions has not been assessed and improved datacollection is needed to asses the humanitarianimpact and long-term needs of survivors.

CHADKey Findings

Several locations in Chad are contaminatedwith cluster munitions.

The absence of complete casualty data anddata differentiated by item type impedesassessment of the human impact of clustersubmunitions.


Cluster munitions were used in Chad bythe Libyan army after the departure of its troopsfrom the country in mid-1987.52 The 2002Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) reports 92 siteswith cluster munitions contamination.53

Submunitions and/or their containers havebeen found in several areas of the followingregions of Chad: the Borkou Ennedi Tibesti(BET) region (northeastern Chad), the Biltine

region (northeastern Chad), and east ofNDjamena.54

Two types of submunitions have beenfound, both of former Soviet Union (USSR) man-ufacture: PTAB-2.5 antivehicle submunitionsand AO-1SCh antipersonnel submunitions.55

There have also been reports of French use ofcluster munitions in Chad.56 However, as of 3October 2006, mine clearance operators havenot found evidence of unexploded French sub-munitions.57

In Chad, mines and other ERW seem to

pose a graver danger than unexploded submu-nitions. The National High Commission forDemining (Haut Commissariat National deDminage, HCND)58 recorded clearance and

destruction of only 157 submunitions. This isapproximately 0.01 percent of the total of158,034 ERW cleared between September 2000and March 2006.59

Data Collection

There is no comprehensive data collectionmechanism in Chad. HCND reports of ERWcasualties are not differentiated by type of ord-nance; even the distinction between mine andERW incidents may not always be clearlyrecorded.60 Fatal casualties often go unreportedand accurate reporting of new casualties isaffected by limited access to incident loca-tions.61 The LIS for Chad did not adequately dif-ferentiate between casualties of mines andERW62 and no differentiation for casualties ofcluster submunitions was made.


HCND is not able to estimate the numberof casualties related to cluster submunitionsdue to a lack of clear incident reporting.63 TheInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

does not know of cluster submunitions casual-ties, and is not in a position to provide informa-tion about some of the areas affected by clustermunitions.64 Mines Advisory Group (MAG) doesnot have knowledge of casualties due to clustersubmunitions in Chad.65

Of the 339 casualties of mines and ERWrecorded in the LIS, 330, or 97 percent, werecivilian. The most common activity type duringincidents recorded in the LIS was tampering,representing 121 casualties, or 36 percent, thenext most common activity was herding, 73

people, or 22 percent.66 The LIS data show thatmany casualties sustained injuries to the upperbody, and state that this is predominantlycaused by tampering with ERW.67,

Focus: AfricaFocus: Africa


18/56


ERITREAKey Findings

Cluster submunitions casualties have beenreported as the immediate result of at leasttwo strikes, and as a result of post-strikecontamination.

The limited casualty data collection mecha-nism does not include specific reference tocluster submunitions casualties.


Ethiopian forces used cluster munitions inEritrea during the Badme border area conflict,which started in 1998.68 On 9 May 2000, theKorokon internally displaced persons (IDP)camp was bombed with UK-manufacturedBL755 cluster munitions each containing 147

submunitions. Soviet-designed PTAB and AO-1type submunitions were also found in theBadme area.69 Contamination from unexplodedcluster submunitions was reported in theKorokon IDP camp in Gash Barka, as well as atan IDP camp in Adi Bare in Shambiko, both inSector West of the Temporary Security Zone(TSZ).70

In May 2000, the Ethiopian airforce report-edly hit the military and civilian airports inAsmara with rockets and cluster munitions.71

According to an Eritrean Ministry of Foreign

Affairs press release, the bombing of the airportfacilities and a nearby soap factory missed theintended targets.72 It has also been alleged thatthe Eritrean ports of Massawa and Assab on theRed Sea coast were struck with cluster muni-tions in the same period.73

Data Collection

The Mine Action Coordination Centre(MACC) of the UN Mission in Ethiopia andEritrea (UNMEE) collects casualty data in theTSZ. The information is entered into IMSMA butdoes not provide a breakdown according todevice type beyond mine and ERW, making itdifficult to identify cluster submunitions inci-dents. This lack of detail in reporting isbelieved to be exacerbated by the limited tech-nical knowledge of investigators andreporters.74 Casualty data in the TSZ is primari-ly reported by military observers, UNMEE MACCstaff, ICRC, and NGO workers.75


The total number of cluster submunitionscasualties is unknown, but recorded casualtiesinclude at least seven people killed and threeinjured: eight of them were children.

One child was killed during the clustermunitions strike on the Korokon IDP camp inMay 2000. The low level of casualties duringthe strike has been attributed to the high failurerate of the submunitions, subsequently result-ing in extensive ERW contamination.76 Many ofthe unexploded submunitions found at Korokon

failed to arm correctly, which may have alsoresulted in them being less sensitive to han-dling.

The May 2000 cluster munitions strike onAsmara airport facilities reportedly resulted inat least two civilians injured during the strike,as the intended targets were not hit. 77

By August 2000, UNMEE MACC receivedreports of three children killed in separate inci-dents in the BL755-contaminated area nearKorokon.78 Also in 2000, a 16-year-old boy waskilled attempting to open a BL755 submunition

with a stone.79

HALO Trust found some 20BL755 submunitions collected by children at anearby site. Some of the children had beenusing the copper cone of the submunitionsexplosive charge to make bells. Other risk-tak-ing behavior included adults moving unexplod-ed submunitions to prevent children from play-ing with them.80

In January 2006, two boys were killed andone injured while tampering with ERW near thevillage of Ksad Ekka. Preliminary investigationby UNMEE determined that the device was

either a grenade or a submunition.81

ETHIOPIAKey Findings

One cluster munitions strike reportedlycaused more than 200 casualties in Ethiopia,but the scope of the problem is unknown dueto the lack of an adequate casualty datamechanism.

Use of cluster munitions and subsequent

submunitions contamination has not beenrecorded or differentiated by mine actionactors or in the Landmine Impact Survey.


The Eritrean army used cluster munitionsagainst Ethiopia during the Badme border con-flict that began in 1998. On 5 June of that year,Eritrea launched air-delivered Cluster munitionstargeting the Mekele airport runway. At leasttwo cluster munitions struck a school and a res-idential area in Mekele instead. The Eritrea

Ethiopia Claims Commission in The Haguefound that the cluster munitions strike resultedin civilian deaths, wounds and suffering.82 Itwas reported that submunitions pose at least


19/56


some extent of a threat on the Ethiopian sideof the TSZ.83 However, the UNMEE MACC has notfound evidence of submunitions during land-mine/ERW clearance. The UNDP remarked thatthe nationwide LIS undertaken in 2003-2004did not report unexploded submunitions foundas ERW. Moreover, the UNDP in Ethiopia is not

aware of cluster weapons being used inEthiopia or by Ethiopia.84 However, the SurveyAction Centre (SAC) responsible for the LIS indicated that the reason for not having infor-mation on cluster munitions contamination inEthiopia is because, at the time of the LIS, clus-ter munitions were not considered to be a con-cern. According to SAC, the LIS could, if askedand needed, distinguish casualties from clustermunitions, as well as other ERW and land-mines.85

Data Collection

There is no nationwide casualty data col-lection mechanism in Ethiopia. Existing datacollection is not coordinated nor is it clearwhich organization has the mandate to collectdata. It was reported that, in 2005 and 2006,the Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO) wasnot able to collect casualty data due to a lack ofpolitical will, coordination and funding issues.Information contained in IMSMA at EMAO is notaccessible. Various operators handed responsi-bility of casualty data collection to the localBureaus of Labor and Social Affairs (BoLSA).However, these have not been able to generatedata and it is unclear if data is collected. 86


Cluster munitions targeting the Mekeleairport instead struck the Ayder school and sur-rounding neighborhood, resulting in a total of238 civilian casualties: 53 killed (including 12children) and 185 injured (including 42 chil-

dren).

87

Additionally, cluster munitions used on11 June 1998 in Adigrat are reported to havekilled four and injured 30.88

The number of post-strike casualties isunknown due to inadequate data collection anda lack of information on cluster munitions con-tamination, which impede a full grasp of thescope of the problem.

SIERRA LEONE

Key Findings

There are at least 28 reported cluster submu-nitions casualties in Sierra Leone.


Cluster munitions were reportedly used inSierra Leone by Nigerian forces undertaking anEconomic Community of West African StatesMonitoring Group (ECOMOG) intervention mis-sion after a military coup in May 1997. On 11December 1997, three cluster munitions were

allegedly dropped in Kenema, 240 kilometresfrom Freetown.89 According to 1997 mediareports, two cluster munitions also struckLokosama, near Port Loko in September 1997.This was denied by ECOMOG.90 In October 1997,Sierra Leone Armed Forces personnel accusedNigerian military pilots of using cluster bombson civilian targets in Freetown.91 It has beenreported that French-manufactured Belugacluster submunitions were collected in armshand-ins in Sierra Leone.92 British-manufac-tured BL755 munitions also appear to have

been found near Freetown.93

Data Collection

There is no systematic ERW casualty datacollection in Sierra Leone.94


The cluster munitions strike by theNigerian ECOMOG mission in Kenema resultedin 28 casualties; 10 people were killed and 18injured.95 No further details regarding addition-al strike or post-conflict cluster submunitionscasualties are available and no ERW incidentscausing casualties have been recorded sincethe end of the civil war in 2002.96 This is partlydue to the non-existence of a data collectionmechanism.

SUDANKey Findings

At least 36 cluster submunitions casualtieshave been reported, of which severaloccurred during cluster munitions strikes incivilian areas.

Data collection is not comprehensive anddue to limited differentiation only 23 post-conflict casualties of cluster submunitionswere recorded in IMSMA.


Sudanese government forces used clustermunitions against the Sudan PeoplesLiberation Movement /Army (SPLM/A) in south-

ern Sudan between 1995 and 2000.97 Clustermunitions strikes were mostly conducted byaerial bombing.98 The Sudanese governmentreportedly used cluster munitions, amongst


20/56


other weapons, specifically against non-militarytargets, including hospitals and IDP camps.99

Numerous cluster munitions strikes wereidentified between 1995 and 2000, includingfive cluster munitions dropped on cultivatedland surrounding Chukudum on 20 April 1995;at least 16 cluster munitions dropped in

Chukudum on 17 June 1996; at least seven loca-tions struck in Bahr al-Ghazal province in earlyFebruary 1998; Koba and Lomon in the NubaMountains attacked on 3 August 1998; onecluster munition dropped on Yei Hospital on 28September 1998; Nimule struck on 30September 1998; 24 cluster munitions droppedin Akak on 16 May 1999; two cluster munitionsdropped on Kajo Keji Hospital and Mdecinssans Frontires (MSF) in Kajo Keji on 20 June1999.100 In late April or early May 2000, govern-ment troops reportedly used cluster munitions

around the town of Bentiu.

101

The Government of Sudan reportedly usedChilean-manufactured CB-130, CB-500 or CB-250-K cluster munitions, containing PM-1 CEMcombined effects submunitions.102 In 1996,HALO Trust identified submunitions found atChukudum as possible Soviet-manufacturedPTAB-1.5 and Chilean-designed PM-1 type sub-munitions.103 Cluster submunitions and/or dis-pensers have been found in Bahr al-Ghazal,Kordofan, Equatoria, Blue Nile and Upper Nileprovinces.104

Data Collection

No comprehensive countrywide casualtydata collection system exists in Sudan. The UNMine Action Office (UNMAO) maintains casualtydata in IMSMA;105 a limited number of entriesspecify cluster submunitions as the cause ofthe incident. The South Sudan Regional MineAction Center does not have detailed casualtyinformation, particularly regarding cluster sub-munitions causalities.106 Local actors also gath-er casualty data. However, many of these are

not entered into the IMSMA database as theinformation is incomplete.107

A national census has been mandatedunder the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of2005, and is scheduled for 2007.108 The censusis expected to include questions regarding peo-ple with disabilities and thus increase knowl-edge of mine/ERW casualties. Additionally,UNMAO plans to initiate a casualty data survey

as a part of a US$1.7 million project funded bythe UN Trust for Human Security.109 The NationalAuthority for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NAPO)has the capacity to collect data on cluster sub-munitions casualties through the patient files inits ICRC-supported database.110


There are at least 36 cluster submunitionscasualties in Sudan, including 16 killed and 20injured. At least six were children. UNMAO hasrecorded 23 post-strike cluster submunitions

casualties, nine people were killed and 14injured; 19 were males and four females. Of the10 casualties whose ages were recorded twowere children. The ages ranged from 10 to 32,the average age being 21. Activity at the time ofthe incident was recorded for twelve casualties:four activities were military; three were tendinganimals; three traveling; and one farming.111

Most casualties occurred in Kordofan (13) andBahr al-Ghazal (five).112 In 2005, UNMAO record-ed one submunition incident but the number ofcasualties was not known.113 Additionally, a 15-year-old girl was killed and another injured inMay 1996 when neighbors were burning sub-munitions from the Chukudum strike.114

Numerous casualties have been reportedduring strikes. However, there are some caseswhere more than one type of weapon may havebeen used, including in Labone IDP camp in1997, as well as in Adet and Thiet in 1998.115 Fivepeople were killed and three injured due to sub-munitions in the Nuba Mountains in August1998, and one person was injured in Yei hospi-tal in September 1998. In May 1999, one childwas killed and one injured during a strike inAkak (Bahr al-Ghazal).116


21/56


Cluster munitions were used in the Balkanregion in conflicts resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia. The largest numbers of knowncasualties in Kosovo were a consequence ofunexploded submunitions scattered in the tensof thousands by NATO bombing. Children were

those killed and injured the most by the attrac-tive, but deadly submunitions.

ALBANIAKey Findings

The total number of cluster submunitionscasualties is 56: 10 killed and 46 injurednearly all caused by KB-1 and BLU-97 submu-nitions.

Cluster munitions were used by NATO andSerbian forces along the Albania-Kosovo bor-

der.


Cluster munitions were used in 1999 dur-ing the Kosovo conflict by both the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Serbianforces: BLU-97, M118, BL755, KB-1 and KB-2(Yugoslav) submunitions were reported.117

Additionally, at least two artillery-deliveredcluster munitions strikes were confirmed by theOrganization for Security and Cooperation inEurope (OSCE) in the Tropoja region.118

NATO executed six strikes along theKosovo-Albania border, allegedly againstSerbian military positions.119 Non-NATO clustermunitions strikes occurred further into Albaniaand included 13 April 1999, when two clustermunitions struck the small border village ofZogaj in the context of other shelling; 120 on 15April, five Serbian rocket-fired 262 mm clustermunitions fell on fields near the hamlet ofKolsh, near the city of Kuks;121 on April 21,Russian-made cluster munitions were fired intoAlbania near Krume.122

Immediate surface clearance by theAlbanian Armed Forces located and destroyed2,759 unexploded submunitions: 97.5 percentwere KB-1s.123 The Albanian Mine Action

Executive (AMAE) stated that 13 areas along theKosovo-Albanian border have been identified ascontaminated with submunitions.124 Failurerates for NATO-used munitions were estimatedat between 20 and 25 percent, whereas 30 to35 percent of submunitions used by non-NATO

forces failed.125

Data Collection

AMAE coordinates and conducts completenationwide casualty data collection, which isstored in the IMSMA database at its regionaloffice in Kuks. Data is collected by AMAEthrough its mine risk education (MRE) and com-munity-based rehabilitation (CBR) programs, aswell as its operational partners, primarily theKuks-based NGO Victims of Mines and

Weapons Association (VMA-Kukesi). In January2006, AMAE completed identification of 467previously unknown ERW casualties in thehotspots in central Albania by collectingIMSMA incident and needs assessmentreports.126


Between 1999 and 2006, 56 cluster muni-tions casualties occurred in 35 incidents andone accident, including 10 people killed (ninemales and one female) and 46 injured (41

males, and five females). On 24 May 2004, aKB-1 submunition detonated during a trainingsession for technical survey project personnel:two people were killed and 18 injured in theaccident.128 On average 1.7 persons wereinvolved per incident,129 and the mortality ratewas nearly twice that of landmine casualties.130

All but three of the reported submunitionscasualties were civilian: the United NationsInstitute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)identified two. Additionally, a policeman waskilled in the area of Kolsh when he picked up an

unexploded submunition after the 15 April 1999strike.131 Additionally, it is unknown whether KLAcasualties, if there were any, are included inAMAE records or recorded as such.132

Focus: Southeast EuropeFocus: Southeast Europe


22/56


All but two casualties occurred post-con-flict. During the strike on Kolsh on 15 April 1999a young goatherd was injured.133

Submunitions casualties reported byAMAE involved either KB-1 (24, with two killed,22 injured) or BLU-97 (four killed) submuni-tions, while two other casualties resulted from

unidentified submunitions.

Life experience

In September 2001, 13-year-old Gazmirwas playing with some friends near hishouse in Krume, in the Kuks prefecture.Finding an interesting object, the childrenbegan to play with it. When the KB-1 sub-munition exploded Gazmirs eyes wereinjured to the extent he was declaredlegally blind. Before the incident Gazmirhad been one of the top students in hisclass, though afterward his studiesbecame unsatisfactory. Aside from his ini-tial treatment, Gazmir has received sup-port for a private tutor, along with Englishand computer skills lessons.134

BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINAKey Findings

Nine cluster submunitions casualties areconfirmed and dozens unconfirmed. Thetotal number of cluster submunitions casual-ties are unknown due to inadequate data col-lection.

NATO and internal factions used clustermunitions.


NATO and internal factions used clustermunitions during the conflict from 1992 to 1995.Some examples of use include: Orkan M-87

multiple rocket launcher firing on the town ofLivno and airplanes from a Krajina Serb-heldarea in Croatia bombing the UN safe area ofBiha with cluster munitions.135 Bosnian Serbsstruck a refugee camp south of Tuzla with clus-ter munitions. Bosnian Serbs claimed that NATOstrikes also hit civilian targets in Banja Luka.136

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center(BHMAC) data does not confirm alleged casual-ties from these strikes.137

Data Collection

Incomplete nationwide casualty data iscollected by BHMAC. Additionally, due to theunification and verification of all operator data-bases, detailed information on landmine/ERW

casualties was not made available. The BHMACdatabase contains records on casualties occur-ring during and after the conflict, but it is notknown whether submunitions are differentiatedfrom other devices.138


The total number of submunitions casual-ties in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not known, asavailable data is very limited. There have beennine confirmed casualties between 1992-2006,including seven killed and two injured.

The cluster munitions strike on a refugeecamp south of Tuzla killed seven and dozensmore were reportedly injured. BHMAC identi-fied only two deminers injured in separate acci-dents with KB-1 cluster submunitions in 2002:one in Vogosca and one in Gornji Vakuf.According to BHMAC, both accidents were

caused by breach of procedure.139

CROATIAKey Findings

Cluster munitions were used on several occa-sions by forces of the self-proclaimedRepublic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) and KB-1submunitions caused all reported casualties.

There are 277 confirmed cluster submuni-tions casualties, including 258 killed, 17injured, and two unknown two strikes on

Zagreb accounted for 243 of these.


Cluster munitions were used on severaloccasions by forces of the self-proclaimedRepublic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) between 1991and 1995, most notably on 2 and 3 May 1995when Orkan M-87 multiple rocket launcherswere used to hit civilian targets in Zagreb,which caused the majority of reported casual-ties.140

Data CollectionThe Croatian Mine Action Center (CRO-

MAC) and Croatian Mine Victims Association(CMVA) conduct nearly complete nationwidedata collection since 1991 and 1990 respective-ly. However, only 50 percent of the CROMACcasualties registered have complete details.141

Casualties from cluster submunitions are differ-entiated from casualties caused by otherdevices, but the total number of cluster submu-nitions casualties is unknown since few conflictcasualties were recorded.


Between 1993 and July 2005, 277 clustersubmunitions casualties have been confirmed,


23/56


including 258 killed, 17 injured, and two whosestatus was unrecorded. The May 1995 strikeson Zagreb accounted for 243 (88 percent) ofreported casualties: including seven peoplekilled and 236 injured in the two-day period,five were killed and 186 injured the first day, twokilled and 50 injured the second.142

Analysis of limited CROMAC data for 34cluster submunitions casualties, including 10killed, 22 injured and two unknown, shows that97 percent were civilians. Males accounted for82 percent of all casualties. Boys account for 43percent of the male casualties and the highestrisk activity for boys was playing (29 percent).CROMAC recorded two men and a womaninjured during strikes on 1 January and 1September 1993, in Zaton and Gospic, respec-tively.

From 1 January to 14 July 1993, there were

12 male casualties from 11 post-strike incidents,including five killed and seven injured in Zadar,Muc, Sibenik and Sukosan. In 1994, one six-year-old boy was killed. In 1995, there were ninecasualties from four incidents: one man waskilled and eight people were injured, includinga woman, a girl, three boys, and three men.

The remaining nine casualties (threekilled, four injured, and two unknown) occurredin the post-conflict period between 1996 and2005. One deminer was killed clearing submu-nitions at a hospital in Zagreb. On average

about 1.5 people were involved per incident.KB-1 submunitions have caused all known casu-alties reported by CROMAC.143

Life Experience

Ivan Mikulcic was 56 years old when thevillage of Pleso, some 500 metres from theZagreb airport, was shelled with clustermunitions: On that day, the 2nd of May,1995, I was at my home at Pleso... On thatmorning at around 10.00, shelling started,

and an unexploded cluster bomb of theOrkan type landed in my yard about 8metres away from me Some of thebomblets of the bomb remained unex-ploded, but there was one that explodedsome 4 metres behind my back, injuringme and damaging my home.... At thatpoint, I was on my way to the shelter and Ionly managed to get hold of the doorknobwhen I felt this very sharp pain in my back.And to this day Ive been carrying threepieces of shrapnel in my back the physi-

cian told me that they were thus placedthat they would cause more damage bytaking them out than by leaving themthere. 144

KOSOVO145

Key Findings

Cluster munitions used by NATO.

At least 164 casualties of cluster submuni-tions recorded in Kosovo; the majority werechildren.

Sixty percent of cluster submunitions inci-dents involved two or more people.


The vast majority of cluster munitions con-tamination in Kosovo is the result of use byNATO forces against the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia during Operation Allied Force fromMarch to June 1999. The United States and theNetherlands used CBU-87 cluster munitionseach containing 202 BLU-97 combined effectssubmunitions. Some CBU-99 and CBU-100munitions were also used. The United Kingdomused about 500 RBL755 munitions, each con-

taining 147 dual-purpose antivehicle andantipersonnel blast and fragmentation submu-nitions.146

In 1999, NATO informed the UnitedNations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Mine ActionCoordination Centre (MACC) that 1,392 clustermunitions containing 289,536 submunitionswere targeted at 333 strike locations inKosovo.147 However, research suggests NATOforces dropped more than 2,000 cluster muni-tions containing approximately 380,000 sub-munitions.148 The credibility of the strike data

NATO provided some ten months after the endof the conflict seemed questionable due toglaring inaccuracies,149 and the problemappears to be wider than initially reported.150



Grand Total 164 N/A 147 15

Injured 103 96 7

Killed 59 51 8

Unknown Status 2 unknown

Man 50 39 11

Woman 3 3 0

Boy 83 81 2

Girl 1 1 0

Military 7 7 0

Deminer 15 13 2

Unknown 5 unknown 3 unknown

Dominant By-standing/passing by (40)Activities

Dominant Dakovica (29)Location


24/56


25/56


26/56


27/56


The Russian Federation has made exten-sive use of cluster munitions in Chechnya and,to a lesser extent, in Tajikistan. Allegedly, Tajikand Chechen factions have used cluster muni-tions as well. In Chechnya, civilian targets wereoften deliberately hit, but the full scope of theproblem is unknown due to a lack of informa-tion.

CHECHNYA/RUSSIAN FEDERATIONKey Findings

Cluster munitions were used extensively byRussian Federation forces, often directlyagainst civilian targets. Chechen use has

also been alleged. The total number of cluster submunitions

casualties in Chechnya is not known butthere are at least 624 reported casualties,including 305 killed and 319 injured.


Cluster munitions have been used exten-sively by Russian Federation forces inChechnya, both during the 1994-1996 war andagain during the recurrence of hostilities start-

ing in September 1999. Chechen use has alsobeen alleged. Civilian targets, such as publicmarkets, were struck on several occasions. Anda HALO demining team got hit.191 The entirearray of cluster munitions in the Russian arse-nal has been deployed in Chechnya and typesused include: AO-2.5 and AO-1SCh, ODS-OS,OFAB-2.5, PTAB-1/M, PTAB-2.5/M, and ShOAB-0.5 bomblets.192

Specific information regarding the fullextent of contamination is not available, asno comprehensive surveys have been done

to document unexploded cluster munitions193However, HALO encountered unexploded sub-munitions in Chechnya between 1997 and 1999,including the AO-2.5RT.194

Data Collection

Documenting the human impact of clustermunitions is difficult due to episodic conflict.UNICEF, through its partner Voice of the

Mountains, is the primary source of informationon mine/ERW casualties in Chechnya.195

However, UNICEF does not differentiate clustersubmunitions casualties from other ERW casu-alties.196 There have been numerous mediareports of significant civilian casualties due touse in populated areas.


The total number of submunitions casual-ties in Chechnya is not known. However, at least624 casualties were identified: 305 killed and319 injured. In the worst strike incident report-

ed, Russian aircraft struck a public market,inflicting 246 civilian casualties: 60 were killedand 186 injured.

The worst post-strike incident involved atleast 24 people, where seven were killed and atleast 15 children injured.

This number is believed to be significantlylower than actual casualties owing to the lack ofdata collection, the intensity of bombardment,and the episodic nature of the conflict inChechnya.

TAJIKISTANKey Findings

A total of 48 cluster submunitions casualtieswere confirmed, all of which were caused byAO-2.5 submunitions; this is nearly 55 per-cent of all recorded ERW casualties.


In the period 1992-1997, cluster munitionswere used in Tajikistan by unknown forces dur-ing the civil war,198 reportedly delivered by heli-copter and rocket. As recently as 2000, there

Focus: Commonwedalth of

Independent States

Focus: Commonwealth of

Independent States


28/56


were reportedly instances of use along the bor-der with Afghanistan.199

The Russian-manufactured RBK series(250, 275, and 500) and KMG-U cluster muni-tions were used in Tajikistan, and their submu-nitions payloads include: AO-2.5 and AO-1SCh,ODS-OS, OFAB-2.5, PTAB-1/M, PTAB-2.5/M,

and ShOAB-0.5 bomblets.200

The Tajik MineAction Cell (TMAC) reported that it has clearedAO-2.5 (422), and ShOAB-0.5 (21) submunitionsfrom mined areas.201

Data Collection

Data collection is conducted by TMACthrough the Red Cross Society of Tajikistan andis considered incomplete, though efforts wereunderway in 2006 to integrate all sources ofcasualty information into IMSMA. Informationspecifically regarding strike and post-strike

casualties was not available.160

Casualty Data Analysis

The total number of submunitions casual-ties in Tajikistan is not known. TMAC reported48 confirmed cluster submunitions casualties,including 30 killed and 18 injured as of 26September 2006. All reported submunitionscasualties were caused by AO-2.5 bomblets.203

Cluster submunitions casualties accounted for54.5 percent of all (80) ERW casualties reportedby TMAC. This casualty rate is similar to that inLao PDR and Vietnam where the ERW type isknown.204 The mortality rate for submunitionscasualties in Tajikistan is 62.5 percent and islikely due to incidents occurring in remote loca-tions where emergency transport is not avail-able.205


29/56


The greater Middle East region has seen someof the most extensive use of cluster munitions in Iraq as well as the most recent use ofthese weapons in Lebanon. In several coun-tries in the region, cluster munitions have beenused at various points in time, resulting inoverlapping contamination. This, as well ashampered clearance due to the security situa-tion in a couple of countries, exacerbatedcasualty rates and it is likely that this trend willcontinue for the foreseeable future.

AFGHANISTAN

Key Findings

Cluster munitions were used by the SovietUnion, the Taliban, the Northern Alliance andUnited States troops between 1980 and2002.

Until 1 July 2006, 701 casualties were record-ed, but the majority of pre-2001 casualtiesare unrecorded.

Confirmed Casualties: 1980 1 July 2006

Total Strike Post- Post-

Strike Conflict

Grand Total 701 216 71 414

Injured 550 167 53 330

Killed 150 49 18 83

Unknown Status 1 0 0 1

Man 305 93 28 184

Woman 49 14 6 29

Boy 224 77 29 118

Girl 31 7 2 22

Military 82 25 6 51

Deminer 10 0 0 10

Unknown 0 0 0 0

Dominant Farming/Tending animals (284)Activities

Dominant Herat (103)Location

Projected average casualty rate is 25 to 30casualties per year.


Cluster munitions were used during theSoviet invasion (1979-1989), the civil war (1992-1996), Taliban regime (1996-2001) and US offen-sive (2001-2002). Though unconfirmed whichtypes of cluster munitions the Soviets used, themost commonly deployed canister was RBK-500, which can carry the following submuni-tions: OFAB-50UD, AO-2.5RTM, OAB-2.5RT,BetAB or improved BetAB-M, PTAB, and PTAB-1M.206 In 1995, the Afghan government claimedthat Russian forces bombed the city of Taloquanand surrounding areas with cluster bombs.207

Taliban and Northern Alliance forces mainlyused surface-delivered cluster munitions, firedfrom BM-21 122 mm multiple rocket launch-ers.208

During the offensive against the Talibanbetween 7 October 2001 and 18 March 2002,the United States mainly used air-deliveredcluster munitions: CBU-87 combined effectsmunitions and CBU-103 with wind correctedmunitions dispenser kits. Each of these muni-tions contain 202 BLU-97s. These types ofmunitions are used for large or moving targets,

but this makes them dangerous in populatedareas, to which the Taliban targets were oftenclose.209

In 232 strikes, the US dropped approxi-mately 1,228 cluster munitions containing248,056 submunitions.210 BLU-97 submunitionshave an official failure rate of seven percent.211

However, based on its clearance records the UNestimates that approximately 40,000 submuni-tions (16 percent) did not explode.212

Data Collection

Information on cluster submunitions casu-alties is collected as part of both theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Focus: Greater Middle East

and North Africa Region

Focus: Greater Middle East

and North Africa Region


30/56


and UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan(UNMACA) databases. The ICRC started datacollection in 1998 and is the principal source ofERW casualty data, providing the UNMACA withabout 95 percent of its information on newcasualties. The ICRC carries out community-based data gathering in all mine-affected areasvia the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS).UNMACA started data collection in 1988 andrecords data in the IMSMA-format. It is antici-

pated that the ICRC/ARSC data collectioncapacity will be handed over to UNMACA andintegrated into one database by 2007.212

The Italian NGO Emergency also collectscasualty data via its three surgical centers,which is not integrated in the ICRC or UNMACAdatabase. These centers distinguish betweenmine and ERW casualties, but do not differenti-ate cluster submunitions casualties.214 However,as Emergency Hospital in Kabul is the mainreferral hospital for serious trauma, it is likely

that submunitions casualties are treated here.

The collection of comprehensive landminecasualty data in Afghanistan remains problem-atic, due in part to communication constraintsand the time needed to centralize information.In 1998, ICRC data collection only covered asmall part of the country, but as of 2006, it hasa presence in all provinces. However, it is stillbelieved that some of the casualties who diebefore reaching medical assistance are notrecorded. It is, therefore, likely that, due to the

generally higher mortality rate for cluster sub-munitions casualties, a significant number ofthese casualties were not recorded in earlieryears.


In total, the ICRC collected information on701 submunitions casualties occurring between1980 and July 2006 in Afghanistan, including150 people killed, 550 injured, and oneunknown. The vast majority of casualties were

male: 57 percent (397) were men and 32 per-cent (224) were boys under 18. Girls under 18made up four percent of casualties (31) andwomen seven percent (49).

Nearly half of the casualties between 1980and 2006 occurred while carrying out livelihoodactivities: tending animals (149 or 21 percent),farming (135 or 19 percent) and collectingwood/food/hunting (56 or eight percent). Boysunder 18 accounted for 52 percent (77) of thecasualties tending animals. Boys and girlsunder 18 accounted for 84 percent (or 56) of 67

casualties occurring while playing; they alsomake up 48 percent of 42 tampering casualties.Two boys were injured due to military activity.Incidental passing by (59) and traveling (55)account for 16 percent of casualties.

Only 18 casualties, including seven dem-iner casualties, occurred in marked areas; thisequals less than three percent of casualties.Most people sustained multiple all-bodyinjuries and 49 people (partially) lost their eye-sight: at least 273 people needed an amputa-tion, often of multiple limbs. Seven percent of

casualties (46) had received mine risk educa-tion, only one of them got injured while tamper-ing with submunitions.

Conflict/Post-Conflict

A total of 121 casualties (17 percent) dueto cluster submunitions were recorded asoccurring during the six-month strike periodbetween October 2001 and March 2002. While itis not possible to state with absolute certaintythat these were due to new cluster munitions

use, the location of the incidents in correlationwith known strikes, media articles, and casestudies seems to suggest this is likely for mostincidents.216 Due to incomplete data collection,only 95 casualties were recorded as occurringduring the Soviet invasion.

Casualty rates were low in the immediateaftermath (12 months) of the Soviet invasionand the US strikes; 71 casualties or 10 percent,possibly because many people sought refuge inneighboring countries or in Kabul.

Most of the recorded casualties are post-

conflict casualties, at 414 or 59 percent; 321occurred 12 months or more after the end of theSoviet invasion and 93 after US cluster muni-tions strikes. Post-conflict cluster submunitions

J

ohnRodsted


31/56


casualties remain relatively constant in bothcases. The recent return of refugees could con-tribute to the relatively consistent level of post-conflict casualties. The post-conflict average fornearly 12 years after the Soviet invasion was 27casualties per year, but there has been a slightincrease in the annual average to nearly 29

casualties per year in the post-conflict periodafter the US invasion. Experts confirm theapparent trend that there will be 25-30 newsubmunitions casualties per year, mostly due toold Soviet contamination, but also due to newerUS munitions, which have not yet beencleared.217

Civilian/Military Comparison

Only 35 casualties (seven percent) of 464cluster submunitions casualties recordedbetween 1998 and 2006 were military (includ-

ing military deminers). Only four military casu-alties occurred during the six months of the USoffensive when the majority of cluster muni-tions were used: in comparison, at least 117civilian casualties occurred in the same period(7 October 2001-18 March 2002).

Between 1980 and 1997, 53 of 237 casual-ties (22 percent) were military (including mili-tary deminers), including one 14-year-old and a12-year-old; 18 military casualties occurred dur-ing the conflict between 1980 and 1989.

Life Experience

Afghanistan, 2002: Three Afghan boyswere photographed at a huge ammunitionwasteland near Bagram Air Base inAfghanistan. Several days after this photowas taken, these three boys were killed,apparently trying to scavenge valuablemetal from the ammunitions dump.218

IRAQ219

Key Findings

Cluster munitions were used during the Iran-Iraq war, 1991 Gulf War, subsequent CoalitionForces operations and the 2003 war and itsaftermath.

At least 2,060 cluster submunitions casual-ties were recorded, estimated casualties(from various sources) are 5,500 to 6,000.

Limited casualty data is available due toinsecurity, a lack of political will, and theabsence of a comprehensive data manage-ment system.


Analysis of MRE data collection in Iraqreportedly revealed cluster submunitions casu-alties as early as 1985:220 frequent Iraqi use of

155-mm artillery projectiles could corroboratethis.221

During Operation Desert Storm from 17January to 27 February 1991, the US forces usedat least 47,167 air-delivered cluster munitionscontaining more than 13 million submunitions:BLU-61/63, 97, BLU APAM, as well as Rockeyes.An estimated 2.6 to 5.9 million submunitionsdid not hit the intended target.222 Additionally,an estimated 30 million sea-launched (withcruise missiles) or artillery-delivered DPICMsubmunitions were used.223 More than 11 million

submunitions were delivered by multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) such as theM26.224 On 21 February 1991 alone, 220,248M77 submunitions were fired from MLRS M270

Total Confirmed Casualties1991 2006: 2,060

Confirmed CasualtiesMarch 2003 May 2006


Total 1,018 720 202 96

Injured 801 613 131 57

Killed 200 90 71 39

Unknown Status 17 17 0 0

Man 336 324 11 1

Woman 87 84 3 0

Boy 119 108 11 0

Girl 59 56 3 0

Military 6 0 6 0

Deminer 0 0 0 0

Unknown 411 148 168 95

Dominant Accidental passing by/Activities livelihood actvities

Dominant Near homeLocation

J

ohnRodsted


32/56


launchers.225 UK troops used 100 JP-233, eightBL755 and 385 CBU-87 cluster munitions;226

resulting in at least 103,446 BLU-97 submuni-ti

Documents

Fatal Footprint- HI Report on Cluster Munitions Casualties-2