The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), an international organization advocating for the ban of cluster munitions, has concluded that the United States approved five shipments of these controversial weapons to Ukraine between July 2023 and April 2024.
According to Report, which cites CMC, US President Joe Biden gave the green light for the delivery of American cluster munitions to Ukraine. The report also suggests that Ukraine may have acquired cluster munitions from other countries during this period, although such claims have been denied by the nations in question.
The report also highlights the global impact of cluster munitions in 2023, with 219 people killed or injured by these weapons. While this figure represents a significant decrease from the record-high casualties of the previous year, experts believe the actual number is likely much higher due to underreporting. The Ukrainian conflict alone saw more than 50 reported cluster munition attacks in 2023, with the number of casualties not specified. Other countries, including Azerbaijan, Iraq, Yemen, Laos, Lebanon, Mauritania, Myanmar, and Syria, also reported new cluster munition casualties in 2023.