Explosive Remnants of War

Primary reference(s)

United Nations, 2004. Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects (Protocol V). Accessed 13 October 2020.

Additional scientific description

The United Nations (2004) definition provided above is from Protocol V of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons but does not include any reference to explosive remnants of war (ERW) in the form of improvised explosive devices.

‘Explosive remnants of war’ is a catchall term for any explosive ordnance that remains unexploded and abandoned following the cessation of conflict. An explosive ordnance may be considered ‘unexploded’ or ‘abandoned’ if it has been “primed, fused, armed, or otherwise prepared for use […] in an armed conflict” prior to being “left behind or dumped by a party to an armed conf lict” (United Nations, 2004:2).

Cluster munitions are an example of ERW and have a long history of conventional use by state actors during warfare (UNODA, 2020a). They are “designed to cover an area with explosive force” and have been used in warfare since the Second World War (Bolton and Nash, 2010:175). A cluster munition produces damage by exploding a single projectile, which fragments into a number of smaller explosive ordnance, which then detonate over a large area (Bolton and Nash, 2010:175). Cluster munitions are of particular concern when discussing the impact of ERW, as the impact of unexploded cluster munitions when detonated is significantly higher than other conventional munitions. A study of the comparative impact on civilian populations found that “ten unitary projectiles with a 10 per cent failure rate will leave one unexploded item whereas ten cluster munitions with 100 submunitions each and a 10 per cent failure rate will leave 100 unexploded items – ten times as many” casualties or fatalities (Bolton and Nash, 2010:175). The clearance of cluster munitions has proved extremely challenging in many contexts – for example in Kosovo, where civilians who went in search of provisions such as firewood accidentally detonated the munitions, causing many casualties and fatalities (ICRC, 2001:18).

Explosive remnants of war frequently have adverse effects on populations owing to the shedding of chemicals or chemically active compounds into areas where they are abandoned. This can have long-term effects when a population is exposed to the chemicals through contamination of water, soil, food sources, and general living environment. One such example is the presence of depleted uranium, which has had significant impacts on the health of conflict affected populations and their environment since it was introduced into conventional warfare (UNODA, 2020b). Depleted uranium has a high density, which makes it a useful component of kinetic energy weapons such as anti-tank weaponry (Murray et al., 2002). In areas with high radioactive contamination, there is a risk of wildfires burning terrain leading to an uncontrolled re-distribution of radioactive particles – which has a profound negative impact on population health. This has resulted in depleted uranium weapons being used widely with the exploded particle remnants being inhaled by those working and living in the vicinity of the conflict (Murray et al., 2002). The long-term effects of exposure to the remnants of depleted uranium from a health perspective are still unclear, but the environmental impact is profound – with an increase in uranium in water supplies, contaminated soil, and potentially unexploded remnants of depleted uranium munitions (Murray et al., 2002). Metrics and numeric limits Not available.

Metrics and numeric limits

Not available.

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

Explosive remnants of war have a profound impact on civilian populations and their environment well after the end of a conflict. Civilians in areas with ERW embedded in their environment are at risk of becoming casualties of explosive ordnance, potentially losing limbs or their lives (UNODA, 2020c). The presence of ERW restricts the movement of populations, resulting in potentially limited access to arable land, water, care or trade (UNODA, 2020c).

Explosive remnants of war have an impact on the quality of water sources and arable land, as particulate matter from these remnants may infiltrate the environment – as in the case of depleted uranium weaponry (Murray et al., 2002). Explosive remnants of war pose a threat to people’s health and human rights in more than 60 lower- and middle-income countries (Frost et al., 2017). Annual casualty numbers fell from 9220 reported casualties in 1999 to 6461 in 2015, with many casualties being maimed rather than killed. Although the exact number of survivors is unknown, many develop subsequent long-term psychological and physical sequelae (Frost et al., 2017). The wider long-term effects of ERW are a social and economic burden to victims, their families, the wider at-risk community, and health systems (Frost et al., 2017).

Protocol V of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons outlines the following control measures to mitigate the impact of ERW: survey and assess the threat posed by ERW in a post-conflict situation; assess and prioritise needs for the marking and removal/clearance of ERW; and clear/remove the ERW where possible and safe (United Nations, 2004:3).