Cluster bomb found in Sudan’s South Kordofan

May 24, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Unexploded cluster ammunitions have been found in South Kordofan state where the Sudanese army fight the rebel Sudan people’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) since June 2011.

The London-based Independent newspaper published on Thursday two photos of unexploded cluster bomb in Ongolo, Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. Villagers said the ammunition was dropped by a Sudanese warplane on 15 April.

Human Rights Watch in a statement released the same day following the publication of the pictures identified the bomb as “a Soviet-made RBK-500 cluster bomb containing AO-2.5 RT submunitions (individual bomblets).”

The rights group further said that this was not the first time a cluster bomb was found in South Kordofan. It revealed that a Chinese-manufactured Type-81 DPICM bomb was found in town of Troji where two teenage boys were killed when one picked up a sub-munition by its orange-coloured ribbon.

Cluster munitions are explosive weapons, dropped by aircrafts or launched from the ground, which release sub-munitions over a wide area. The bomblets usually have the size of a tennis ball. Some are attractive to children because of their unusual shape or bright colour.

Human Rights Watch urged Khartoum, which denies reports it used these munitions, to probe the discovery of cluster bombs in the restive region. Also, the group called on it to join an international treaty banning the weapon.

“Sudan claims it doesn’t possess cluster bombs, so why have cluster munitions been found on its territory?” said Steve Goose, Arms Division director at Human Rights Watch.

“Cluster bombs cause unnecessary and unjustified risk and harm to civilians. We believe they should not be used by armed forces, anywhere, any time,” he further stressed.

There are 111 signatories among them only 71 countries ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions of May 2008. Sudan, China, Russia and the United States did not endorsed it officially.

(ST)