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NGOs urge end to bombings in populated areas

by Megan Rowling | @meganrowling | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Friday, 11 November 2011 08:54 GMT

Civilians account for around 85 percent of deaths when explosive weapons are used in towns and cities

p> LONDON (AlertNet) - From civilian deaths in air raids and bombings in Afghanistan to violent clashes in Sudan, ordinary people are increasingly bearing the brunt of conflicts around the world.

Research from UK-based group Action on Armed Violence (AAOV) reveals that 20,644 civilian deaths and injuries from explosive weapons were reported in English-language media sources alone between Oct. 1, 2010 and Sept. 30, 2011. In populated areas, 85 percent of casualties were civilians, it says.

AAOV is a member of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), a coalition of NGOs set up in March, which is calling on states to take immediate action against bombings in populated areas. This year, shelling and rocket attacks have had a "deadly impact" on inhabitants of towns and cities in Ivory Coast, Libya and Syria among other countries, according to INEW.

On Wednesday, as the U.N. Security Council held a high-level debate on protecting civilians in armed conflict, the network said states should begin discussions on stronger standards to stop the pattern of harm in urban areas.

"Although the U.N. secretary-general last year called on states to gather data on deaths and injuries from explosive attacks, and to make public their own policies regarding the use of explosive weapons, states have yet to respond," the coalition said in a statement.

INEW coordinator, Thomas Nash, urged governments to disclose the information they hold about the risks of explosive weapons.

"In Libya, we saw a terrible human toll when Grad rockets were used in towns and cities," he said. "States should reject the use of such weapons near civilians. It is time to begin a serious discussion about how we can provide better civilian protection."

Explosive weapons include improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as explosive ordnance such as mortars, artillery shells and aircraft bombs. These weapons use blast and fragmentation to kill and injure people in the area around the point of detonation, meaning that innocent people are often severely affected when they are used in public places, according to INEW.

Its member organisations include Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, IKV Pax Christi, Medact, Norwegian People’s Aid, Oxfam and Save the Children UK.

CIVILIANS 'DELIBERATELY TARGETED'

Speaking at the Security Council debate, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that in conflicts worldwide, women, girls, boys and men continue to suffer blatant and frequent violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, including killing, torture, kidnapping, rape and mutilation, the U.N. news service reported.

"Let us remember that civilians suffer such horrors not because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time and become what is still euphemistically referred to as 'collateral damage'. Civilians suffer more and more frequently because they are deliberately targeted," Ban said.

Catherine Bragg, the U.N. assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, drew attention to the frequent failure to hold accountable those responsible for rights violations and to provide any form of justice.

"We cannot continue to ignore war crimes and serious violations of human rights law in conflict. Nor can we ignore the need to ensure that victims see justice and reparations for the wrongs they have suffered," she said.

"We must do more to advance the protection of civilians and ensure progress where it most matters – in the midst of conflict," she told the debate.

Further information:
Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School report: Documentation of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas 
Action on Armed Violence report: Explosive weapons in populated areas 2010-2011
U.N. secretary-general's report on protection of civilians from November 2010

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