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The Biden administration will ban the use of anti-personnel mines from the United States in much of the globe, in a decision that repeals Trump-era rules that allow greater use of weapons, which are accused of killing thousands of civilians each year. most of them children.
The move, expected by the White House on Tuesday, concludes an expanded internal review of a policy introduced in early 2020 that entitles military commanders to use mines globally in certain situations. This allows the United States to use weapons along the ally of South Korea’s ally with North Korea, although no mines are currently stationed there.
A State Department spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe actions that have not yet been made public, said the new policy reflects the Biden administration’s belief that human rights must be an important factor. when deciding when to use weapons or providing them to other countries.
U.S. officials say anti-personnel mines used by various nations kill about 7,000 people a year. most of whom are civilians. It is estimated that at least half of the victims are children. In places such as Afghanistan and Yemen, anti-personnel mines remain a hidden danger after conflicts, sowing of agricultural land or mountain trails with invisible and long-lasting danger.
Defenders of humanitarian issues emphasize the lasting and deadly impact of anti-personnel mines used by Russia in Ukraine, including those prohibited by international law. (Video: Leila Barghouty / The Washington Post)
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, an advocacy group, welcomed the new policy, but said the United States must take the necessary steps to accede to the Ottawa Convention, a 1997 treaty that bans participating countries from use, transfer or store categorized weapons as anti-personnel mines.
“We’re not up to date with most of the world yet,” Kimball said. “The administration needs to act faster to bring us into line.
While the United States remains inadmissible to accede to the Ottawa Treaty because of its refusal to abandon the use of antipersonnel mines altogether, U.S. officials say they hope to do so if alternative weapons can be developed to protect South Korea’s border. with North Korea.
The new policy will bring the United States in line with most aspects of the treaty, banning the production and purchase of mines and banning the export and transfer of mines, except when necessary for their destruction. The regulations also oblige the United States to destroy existing US mines that are not considered necessary in South Korea.
The U.S. stockpile includes about 3 million antipersonnel mines, all of which have self-destruct or self-deactivation functions. The United States has used anti-personnel mines once after the entry into force of the Ottawa Treaty in Afghanistan.
As a presidential candidate, Biden has vowed to overturn what he described as President Donald Trump’s “reckless” stance on mines. Officials presented the policy, which is identical to the Obama administration’s rules, as further evidence of the Biden administration’s commitment to the well-being of civil and human rights. The United States is also the largest supporter of efforts to destroy conventional weapons, including antipersonnel mines and other unexplored munitions.
Critics say the Biden administration’s actions fail to match its rhetoric in other areas of human rights, including its support for leaders who have witnessed widespread abuses. The new policy comes ahead of Biden’s expected meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Senator Patrick J. Lihi (D-Vt.) Called on the Ministry of Defense, where senior officials expressed support for the use of anti-personnel mines, to swiftly implement the new policy.
“It is a long overdue recognition that the heavy humanitarian and political costs of using these weapons far outweigh their limited military usefulness,” Leahy, who has long advocated ending the use of landmines, said in a statement.
Annie Sheale, an employee of the Civic Center for Civilian Conflict (CIVIC), said the task ahead was a total ban on weapons “without exception”. “Penem mines are indiscriminate weapons that have wreaked havoc on civilians for decades after they were used,” she said.
The new rules deprive the Pentagon of power over the issue, giving control to the White House.
When the rules for 2020 were unveiled, the Pentagon identified anti-personnel mines as valuable in protecting troops from overrunning or targeting enemy forces in areas where they could be attacked. This policy allows military commanders to order the use of certain anti-personnel mines in battle, as long as they have a function of self-destruction or self-deactivation.
“The United States will not sacrifice the safety of US troops,” a senior Pentagon official said at the time.
Military leaders have also backed the use of mines since Biden took office. In April, General Mark A. Millie, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the mines as an important wartime tool.
“Anti-tank or anti-personnel mines are very effective in battle,” he said, noting the need to ensure that weapons do not remain active after conflict.
The State Department official said that Millie and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during the review process “had the opportunity to raise with the White House the need they think they have for anti-personnel mines and talk about their operational effectiveness, but that was the decision.” “.
The Biden administration has highlighted the consequences of anti-personnel mines in the war in Ukraine, where officials say Russia has planted mines indiscriminately. While Russia is not a party to the Ottawa Convention, Ukraine has signed.
Karen Chandler, acting assistant secretary of state, said “there is no credible evidence that Ukraine has used [anti-personnel mines]at the time or during Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
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