Explosive Weapons

Insecurity Insight conducts and supports research and analysis concerning harms and practices arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas with a focus on their reverberating effects on health, education and aid.

Insecurity Insight conducts a variety of activities improving understandings and raising awareness of the impacts of explosive weapons use in populated areas. These include providing data for the Explosive Weapons Monitor, an initiative that conducts research and analysis on harms and practices from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas for the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW). We also monitor and analyse the use of drone delivered explosive weapons and Insecurity Insight Director, Christina Wille, has authored and co-authored a series of reports for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research concerning the reverberating effects of explosive weapons. Further information about our work in this area is available below.

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The Reverberating Effects of Explosive Weapons

The impacts of explosive weapons use in populated areas are much wider and longer lasting than the shock waves of the explosive blast. Their use sets in motion a series of complex knock-on effects that spread out over time and space in urban ecosystems, with negative consequences for civilian well-being and the environment in which people live. These “reverberating effects” manifest across a wide range of interlinked sectors, including urban infrastructure, public health, education, culture and heritage, food security, economic prospects, and adverse environmental impacts.

The Menu of Indicators to Measure the Reverberating Effect on Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) co-authored by Insecurity Insight Director Christina Wille offers indicators to document knock-on effects of explosive weapons and inform and influence the policy and practice of conflict parties. By using a standardized set of indicators, data generated can be leveraged to build a comparable evidence base reflecting the consequences to civilian well-being from the use of EWIPA and inform high-level policymaking.

Data on Explosive Weapons Use and International Humanitarian Law

Under international humanitarian law, conflict parties have an obligation to take into account the reasonably foreseeable reverberating effects of their actions and minimise expected incidental damage to civilians and civilian objects such as water and electricity plants as well as health care facilities. Through the use of data and qualitative analysis, Insecurity Insight helps identify conflict actions with reasonably foreseeable reverberating effects for civilians and civilian objects which may therefore require greater precautionary action by conflict parties. This work supports the landmark Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. This recognises the importance of collecting and sharing data on the “direct and indirect effects” of explosive weapons on civilians and civilian objects.

Drone Delivered Explosive Weapons

The widespread availability of drones and their low prices compared with conventional military launching platforms has expanded the variety of conflict parties able to deposit explosive weapons from the air. As such, their use is an important development in contemporary armed conflicts with implications for civilians and civilian objects as well as security risk management assessments by aid agencies. To improve understandings of these developments, Insecurity Insight monitors the use of drone delivered explosive weapons. Recent products on these include an infographic concerning attacks on education facilities and an analysis of their use in Ethiopia.

The Explosive Weapons Monitor

The Explosive Weapon Monitor publishes data on incidents of explosive weapon use around the world as reported in open sources. It uses data collected by Insecurity Insight on incidents of explosive weapon use affecting aid access, education and healthcare and by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) on incidents of explosive weapon use and casualties. Insecurity Insight has also contributed to Fragments: Explosive Weapons Monitor Quarterly, a collection of articles which address issues related to explosive weapons use in populated areas. Our latest article reviews the impact of explosive weapons use on health care in 2022.

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