Some 75 countries and territories, or a third of the globe, were affected in 2023 by the use of explosive weapons, causing an “unprecedented” level of damage to civilian infrastructure and populations, according to an annual report from Handicap International published Monday. The number of civilians killed is up 122% compared to 2022, according to the report, which also identifies a very sharp increase in attacks against health infrastructure (763 incidents, +12% in 2023), education (+ 80%) or humanitarian aid.
The war in Gaza, where the Israeli army has been leading an offensive for six months in response to the unprecedented attack by Palestinian Hamas on October 7, weighs heavily in the increase in figures, notes the report, using data from the Bank world according to which more than 60% of housing has been destroyed or damaged in the Palestinian territory, one of the most densely populated in the world.
Nine countries particularly affected
Nine countries or territories are particularly affected, according to Handicap International: Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen. “The use of explosive weapons in urban areas has absolutely devastating consequences for civilians,” Gilles Lordet, advocacy communications manager for Handicap International, told AFP. In addition to the deaths, “they cause massive population displacements and have long-term consequences such as soil contamination” by mines or unexploded ordnance, he notes. The report notes that civilians represent 90% of victims of explosive weapons used in cities.
The publication of the report comes as a three-day international meeting opens Monday in Oslo to discuss the implementation of a 2022 political declaration aimed at better protecting civilians against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, signed by 86 countries. Twenty-eight of them are among the countries affected by the use of explosive weapons, notes Handicap International.
Israel or Russia are not signatories to the 2022 declaration. “States must immediately implement the international agreement to protect civilians from the consequences of the use of explosive weapons. They must put in place concrete policies to alleviate the humanitarian suffering caused by the bombings and shelling of cities,” says Alma Taslidzan, advocacy manager at Handicap International, quoted in the report.