Africa Should Not Allow the Ban on Cluster Munitions to be Undermined

A statement by the Institute for Security Studies arguing that African nations must prevent the adoption of a new Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) that would weaken the existing 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

• The Fourth Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), held in Geneva until 25 November, is considering a new Protocol that would allow certain countries to continue the trade, stockpiling, and use of cluster munitions, which are noted for causing "unacceptable harm to civilians".
• Cluster munitions consist of air- or ground-launched canisters containing up to 650 sub-munitions. They create explosive remnants of war (ERW) because sub-munitions often fail to explode on impact, leading to deaths and injuries after conflicts end.
• Africa is significantly impacted by cluster munitions, accounting for nearly one-third of affected countries and territories, including Uganda, Angola, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Western Sahara. Among 14 states that have used these weapons, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, and Sudan are listed.
• The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which entered into force on 1 August 2010 and has over 65 States Parties, prohibits the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of these weapons. The proposed CCW Protocol is viewed by the Human Rights Watch and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a move that would "water down" international norms and reduce standards set by international humanitarian law.
• Major producers including Russia, China, and the United States, as well as India and Pakistan, are expected to support the use of cluster munitions until at least 2026. The draft Protocol allows the use of devices manufactured since 1980 with one safety mechanism for 12 years after entry into force and contains no provision to stop future production.

APA

Stott, N. (n.d.). Africa Should Not Allow the Ban on Cluster Munitions to be Undermined. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africa-should-not-allow-the-ban-on-cluster-munitions-to-be-undermined

Chicago

Stott, Noel. Africa Should Not Allow the Ban on Cluster Munitions to be Undermined. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africa-should-not-allow-the-ban-on-cluster-munitions-to-be-undermined.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Stott |first1=Noel |title=Africa Should Not Allow the Ban on Cluster Munitions to be Undermined |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africa-should-not-allow-the-ban-on-cluster-munitions-to-be-undermined |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{stottndafrica, author = {Stott, Noel}, title = {{Africa Should Not Allow the Ban on Cluster Munitions to be Undermined}}, publisher = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africa-should-not-allow-the-ban-on-cluster-munitions-to-be-undermined}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }