05 July 2010

Countdown to Entry into Force – Week 11: Sudan

Contamination from unexploded Chinese-manufactured cluster submunitions found in southern Sudan in 2006. Photo credit: Lydia Poole/Landmine ActionSudan should follow through on its stated commitment to ban cluster bombs by joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions as soon as possible. “Sudan has said it opposes cluster munitions in all their aspects, so joining the international treaty banning the weapons should be an obvious next step,” said Abdelatie Eid, coordinator of CMC member organisation, the Sudan Campaign to Ban Landmines. “Just as Africa banded together to ban landmines, we can do the same to rid the continent of cluster bombs, and we’re calling on African states to sign and ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions without delay.”Of the 106 countries that have signed the Convention to date, 40 are in Africa. Only Sudan and 12 other states have yet to sign for the entire continent to be included in the treaty.Sudan is not believed to have produced or exported cluster munitions. There is significant evidence that Sudan has used cluster munitions in the past and that it still has a stockpile, although the Sudanese government denies this. The CMC calls on Sudan to clarify this.Sudan attended the Oslo signing ceremony of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in December 2008 as an observer, where it stated that it would sign as soon as possible. It also participated extensively in other Oslo Process meetings, including a conference for affected states held in Belgrade in October 2007. In addition, Sudan is a state party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which shares the humanitarian vision of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Sudan’s work to clear explosive remnants of war, including cluster munitions, already contributes to the goals of the Convention.The CMC urges all countries to join the Convention without delay and to participate in the First Meeting of States Parties in November 2010 in Lao PDR, the most-affected country in the world.Download letters urging the government of Sudan to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions:

  • CMC letter urging the government of Sudan to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions
  • Template letter urging the government of Sudan to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Additional information on Serbia and cluster munitions:
  • Sudan chapter in the May 2009 report, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice
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