Zimbabwe

The Republic of Zimbabwe has not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Zimbabwe’s only participation in the Oslo Process was at the two African regional conferences in Livingstone in March/April 2008 and Kampala in September 2008. Zimbabwe is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

During the Livingstone conference from 31 March–1 April 2008, Zimbabwe was an active and vocal participant. Zimbabwe announced its support for the Oslo Process and a legally-binding instrument on cluster munitions. It advocated for a comprehensive definition of a cluster munition without exceptions.^[1] Zimbabwe endorsed the Livingstone Declaration, which called on African states to support the negotiation in Dublin of a comprehensive convention with a “total and immediate” prohibition on the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions.^[2] However, Zimbabwe did not attend the Dublin Diplomatic Conference in May 2008.

Zimbabwe participated in the Kampala Conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions in September 2008. Zimbabwe endorsed the Kampala Action Plan, which called on all African states to sign the convention in Oslo on 3 December; ratify the convention as soon as possible; ensure its effective implementation; and to act cooperatively to ensure public awareness and support for the convention.^[3] Zimbabwe did not attend the signing conference in Oslo.

Zimbabwe is not known to have used, produced, or exported cluster munitions. It may have a stockpile. Jane’s Information Group reports that the Alpha bomblet developed for the South African CB-470 cluster bomb was produced by Rhodesia (the predecessor of Zimbabwe), and that “Zimbabwe may have quantities of the Alpha bomblet.”^[4]