U.S. Shipment of Anti-Personnel Mines to Ukraine is Outrageous: ICBL
Technician inspects for the presence of anti-personnel mines. X/ @dwnews
November 25, 2024 Hour: 12:37 pm
It is deeply troubling that the U.S. is deliberately providing a weapon whose use is prohibited under international law.
During this week, the signatories of the “Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction” (The Ottawa Convention) will hold their Fifth Review Conference (5RC) in Siem Reap-Angkor, Cambodia.
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On Monday, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) described the United States’ shipment of antipersonnel mines (APLs) to Ukraine as “outrageous.” At the Cambodia conference, this coalition of organizations, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, will analyze the progress made on this type of banned weaponry among the 164 countries that are signatories to the Ottawa Convention.
“APLs have no place in this world. This shipment will leave a lethal legacy for Ukrainian civilians for generations. It is deeply troubling that the United States is deliberately providing a weapon whose use is prohibited under international law to Ukraine,” said ICBL Director Tamar Gabelnick.
The humanitarian coalition emphasizes that the shipment of U.S. landmines poses “a significant threat to global efforts to eradicate” these types of weapons and maintains that no exceptions should be made for their use.
The ICBL statements were made in response to attempts to justify the deployment of these devices by Ukraine, which, unlike Russia and the United States, is a party to the treaty banning landmines.
The Cambodia conference will run until Friday, and public actions are expected to denounce Washington’s decision. Human rights defenders are calling on the United States and Ukraine to comply with international law.
The latest ICBL report highlights that Ukraine has become one of the most heavily contaminated territories with landmines. In the past year alone, 580 people were killed or injured by these devices, making Ukraine the fourth country in the world with the most victims of such weapons, behind Myanmar, Syria, and Afghanistan.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: EFE – UNIDIR