What are cluster munitions?
Cluster munitions, or cluster bombs, are large weapons that open in mid-air and scatter widely smaller submunitions, which usually number in the dozens or hundreds. Cluster munitions can be launched from the air by a variety of aircrafts, including fighters, bombers, and helicopters. On the ground, cluster munitions can be shot out of artillery, rockets, and missile systems. Air-dropped cluster bombs release submunitions most often called “bomblets,” while surface-delivered cluster weapons release submunitions most often called “grenades.”

What are the effects of cluster munitions?
Cluster munitions pose unacceptable dangers to civilians both during attacks, and long afterwards. Because they spread out over large areas—sometimes as big as several football fields—cluster munitions cannot be precisely targeted during attacks. If used anywhere near populated areas, cluster munitions almost inevitably cause significant numbers of civilians casualties. The submunitions are supposed to explode on impact, but many do not, leaving behind large numbers of dangerous “duds” that act just like antipersonnel landmines. However, submunition duds are more lethal than antipersonnel mines; incidents involving submunition duds are much more likely to cause death than injury.

Why is Human Rights Watch opposed to the use of cluster munitions?
Simply put, cluster munitions kill and injure too many civilians. Cluster munitions caused more civilian casualties in Iraq in 2003 and Kosovo in 1999 than any other weapon system. Now that antipersonnel landmines have been banned, cluster munitions stand out as the weapon that poses the gravest dangers to civilians. In every conflict where Human Rights Watch has been able to document thoroughly the used of cluster munitions, the weapons have been used in violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). In particular, use of cluster munitions in populated areas is likely to violate the IHL prohibition on indiscriminate attacks.

How are cluster munitions currently being used?
Cluster Munitions were used most recently by Russia and Georgia in their August 2008 conflict. Human Rights Watch has conducted field research to determine the details and extent of this use. Cluster munitions were also recently used during the war in Lebanon in the summer of 2006, when Israel fired an estimated 4 million submunitions into Lebanon. Hezbollah also fired cluster munitions into Israel, although on a much smaller scale. Cluster munitions have been used in about two dozen conflicts since the 1960s, including by the US and the UK in Iraq in 2003, the US in Afghanistan in 2001-2002, and the US, UK and Netherlands in Kosovo in 1999.

Timeline of cluster munition use

What does Human Rights Watch recommend to governments who use cluster munitions?
Human Rights Watch was the first organization to call for a global moratorium on the use of cluster munitions in 1999. Human Rights Watch believes that inaccurate and unreliable cluster munitions should never be used. Human Rights Watch is now calling on all governments to put an end to the humanitarian harms caused by these weapons worldwide by joining the new Convention on Cluster Munitions when it is opened for signature on December 3, 2008.