Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is deeply concerned by the reports of cluster munitions use in northern Mali.
The reports circulating in recent days suggest that cluster munitions have been dropped in the Timbuktu and Kidal regions. Images shared publicly show Russian-made RBK-500 cluster bombs and ShOAB-0.5 submunitions. The available information has not yet been independently verified, and the full circumstances under which the alleged use of cluster munitions occurred remain unclear.
NPA calls for immediate independent investigation of the reported incidents and urges Mali to provide full transparency regarding these serious allegations. In case the allegations are confirmed, Mali must clearly communicate the measures it will take to address the violation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and how it will prevent similar repetitions and ensure continuous full compliance with its legal obligations under the Treaty.
Mali has been a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions since the Treaty entered into force in 2010. The Convention prohibits under any circumstances the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions, and represents a vital humanitarian instrument protecting civilians from harm caused by these indiscriminate weapons.
States Parties are also obliged not to assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in activities prohibited under the Convention.
Cluster munitions cause unacceptable and long-lasting harm to civilians. Designed to disperse large numbers of explosive submunitions over a wide area, these weapons cannot distinguish between civilians and combatants. Many submunitions fail to explode on impact, leaving behind deadly contamination that remains a threat to communities for decades after conflict has ended.
Civilians must be protected at all times, under all circumstances, and by all parties to the conflict; established humanitarian norms and international humanitarian law must be upheld, without exception.
