Human Rights Watch is urging the U.S. Congress to block the transfer of Turkish-made cluster munitions to Ukraine.
The request highlights the ongoing tension between immediate military necessity and long-term humanitarian risks. Because cluster munitions often fail to detonate upon impact, they effectively turn civilian areas into minefields that persist for years after a conflict ends.
According to Human Rights Watch, the shipment of these weapons could leave over 10 million [1] submunitions across the region. These remnants pose a severe threat to non-combatants, as unexploded ordnance can be mistaken for toys or scrap metal by children and farmers.
The organization said the U.S. Congress holds a pivotal role in the decision to allow or block the shipment from Turkey. The group said the indiscriminate nature of these weapons makes them unsuitable for use in populated areas.
Cluster munitions release dozens or hundreds of smaller bombs over a wide area. While they are effective against dispersed military targets, the failure rate of the submunitions creates a lasting hazard. Human Rights Watch said the risk to civilians outweighs the tactical advantages of the Turkish-made systems.
The call for a ban comes as international bodies continue to push for the global adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The U.S., Turkey, and Ukraine are not signatories to the treaty, which prohibits the use, production, and stockpiling of these weapons.
“Human Rights Watch is urging the U.S. Congress to block the transfer of Turkish-made cluster munitions to Ukraine.”
This pressure from Human Rights Watch places the U.S. Congress in a difficult position, balancing the strategic goal of supporting Ukraine's defense with the legal and ethical obligations to protect civilians. The potential presence of millions of unexploded submunitions would necessitate a massive, multi-decade demining effort, increasing the long-term financial and humanitarian burden on the Ukrainian state.
