Brandbommen veroorzaken hitte en vuur door een chemische reactie van een ontvlambare stof. Ze veroorzaken verschrikkelijke brandwonden en schade aan burgers en burgerobjecten, wat vaak leidt tot langdurige schade en psychologisch trauma.
In de afgelopen 15 jaar zijn brandbommen gebruikt in Afghanistan, Gaza, Irak, Libanon, Palestina, Somalië, Syrië, Oekraïne en Jemen.
Stop the use of incendiary weapons
Incendiary Weapons cause excruciating harm to civilians. Currently, international law (more specifically Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons) prohibits the use of air-delivered incendiary weapons in ‘concentrations of civilians’ , but is not as strong for ground-launched weapons. At the same time, many states believe the rules do not apply to munitions that were not ‘primarily designed’ as incendiary weapons but have the same effect nonetheless.
What are incendiary weapons
Incendiary weapons contain materials such as napalm, thermite, magnesium powder, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus. They are not explosive weapons but use ignition rather than detonation for a chemical, burning reaction. Napalm, for example, is petroleum especially thickened into a gel to slow, but not stop, combustion, releasing energy over a longer time than a regular explosive device. White phosphorus is a chemical waxy solid substance that ignites instantly upon contact with oxygen. Once ignited, white phosphorus is very difficult to extinguish. It sticks to surfaces – like skin and clothing – and the smoke from burning phosphorus is harmful to the eyes and respiratory system. After it is extinguised it will re-ignite when in contact with oxygen, causing terrible burn wounds to the skin.
What PAX wants
PAX calls on states to:
- Acknowledge the humanitarian harm caused by incendiary weapons
- Condemn the use of any type of incendiary weapon by any actor
- Refrain from the use of all incendiary weapons, including white phosphorous, especially in populated areas
- To strengthen the existing rules in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (Protocol III) on incendiary weapons.
Statements
- Joint Civil Society Statement on Incendiary Weapons, UN General Assembly First Committee
16 oktober 2024 - Joint Civil Society Statement on Incendiary Weapons to the Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the CCW
16 november 2022 - PAX general statement to the Convention on Conventional Weapons
November 2018 - PAX general statement to the Convention on Conventional Weapons
December 2016 - PAX general statement to the Convention on Conventional Weapons Meeting of High Contracting Parties, Geneva
12 November 2015
Publications
- Human Rights Watch: Beyond Burning; Ripple Effect of Incendiary Weapons and Increasing Calls for International Action
November 2024 - PAX: Put out the fire – Strengthening International Law and Divestment Policies on Incendiary Weapons
8 december 2021 - Human Rights Watch: Myths and realities about incendiary weapons
november 2018 - CCW Protocol III – Protocol on Prohibitions or restrictions on the use of incendiary weapons
- Human Rights Watch: They Burn Through Everything - The Human Cost of Incendiary Weapons and the Limits of International Law
November 2020
Partners
Contact
Roos Boer, Project Leader Humanitarian Disarmament