BRUSSELS -- The ousted Libyan government of Col. Moammar Ghadafi deployed cluster bombs and landmines against civilians, the U.N. Human Rights Council said in a report on international investigations into Libya's human rights record.Because unexploded cluster bombs are causing civilian casualties, a global cluster munitions pact is now in place to deter and reduce such casualties. Human rights groups have long accused Libya of using cluster bombs against civilians. But this is the first time that the United Nations has formally recognized the use of cluster bombs in Libya, which is not party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
The International Commission of Inquiry on Libya said after looking into alleged violations of international human rights law in the country that cluster bombs caused serious damage to ordinary civilians.
According to the report released March 2, members of experts from the Human Rights Council confirmed unexploded Spanish-made cluster bombs and fragments in Misrata in northwestern Libya and determined that the Ghadafi government used cluster combs in April last year. Experts say they disposed of 82 unexploded cluster bombs although the rate of unexploded cluster bombs was relatively high at 9.5 percent. Read More
