The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has congratulated Nigeria for becoming the 111th state to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Nigeria ratified the treaty on 28 February 2023, which will take effect from 1st August, and prohibits all use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
In a statement, the ICRC notes that the continued use of cluster munitions globally causes widespread human suffering, particularly due to their indiscriminate area effect. In 2022, civilians accounted for 97% of all recorded cluster munition casualties.
“Cluster munitions that do not explode on impact can pose a threat to communities for years – especially as people seek to return home in the wake of armed conflict.
In Nigeria, we work alongside the Nigerian Red Cross Society to help raise awareness among communities of the risks posed by these explosive remnants of war.
“Nigeria becomes the 35th country in Africa to ratify the treaty, underscoring the shared responsibility to prohibit weapons that have dire and long-standing humanitarian consequences.
“We call on all states and parties to armed conflict to immediately stop using, producing, transferring, and stockpiling cluster munitions.
