Incendiary Weapons

Incendiary weapons, which are notorious for their horrific human cost, cause extremely painful burn injuries that are difficult to treat and lead to long-term physical and psychological harm. More than 115 countries have joined the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Protocol III on Incendiary Weapons. International law on incendiary weapons needs to be strengthened, however, because the protocol has two loopholes. First, the protocol’s definition of incendiary weapons does not encompass multipurpose munitions such as white phosphorus, which are “primarily designed” to create smokescreens or signal troops, yet have the same cruel incendiary effects. Second, while the protocol prohibits the use of airdropped incendiary weapons in civilian areas, it has weaker regulations for the use of ground-launched incendiary weapons.