casualties
“Indiscriminate harm”: explosive weapons in populated areas raised at UN protection debate, expert meeting announced
On 30 January 2015, the UN Security Council held an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. A number of delegations raised concerns about the humanitarian harm caused by the use explosive weapons in populated areas, the threat to civilian protection that such actions pose, and the new international standards that are needed as a result. During the debate, Austria announced that it will hold an expert meeting on explosive weapons in September in Vienna. The Vienna meeting will follow previous discussions hosted by... Read more
Action on Armed Violence update on explosive weapons in Homs
Action on Armed Violence has issued an update highlighting concerns over the use of explosive weapons in the Syrian city of Homs. AOAV calls for an end to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and “condemns the use of indirect-fire weapons, such as artillery shells and multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS) in civilian areas as entirely unacceptable.” Action on Armed Violence notes: “The range and intensity of the explosive weapons used by the Syrian armed forces in Homs marks... Read more
Article 36 highlights concern over use of explosive weapons in Syria
INEW member Article 36 has issued a statement highlighting the humanitarian consequences of the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas of the Syrian city of Homs over the past few days. The statement is available on the Article 36 website and follows below. Explosive weapons in Syria 6 February 2012 The use of explosive weapons in Syria over the past several months has been an indicator of crisis unfolding and civilian protection being gravely eroded. The escalation of... Read more
Red Cross report highlights impact of explosive weapons on healthcare
A new report ‘Healthcare in Danger’ released by the International Committee of the Red Cross this week highlights the impact of violence on the provision of healthcare. Many of the findings point to the use of explosive weapons as a key form of violence posing concerns to healthcare providers. The report has generated substantial international media coverage. In their analysis of 655 violent events affecting healthcare providers over two and a half years, the report authors have disaggregated data to... Read more