Azerbaijan says over 200 people affected by cluster munitions

Azerbaijan has reported that at least 233 people have been killed or injured as a result of the use of cluster munitions on its territory between 1992 and 2025.

The figure was announced by Hafiz Safikhanov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines PU, speaking at a press conference in Geneva held alongside the 22nd Conference of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention and the presentation of the Landmine Monitor Report 2025, according to Azertag.

According to Safikhanov, monitoring conducted in areas formerly under occupation and located along the de facto border with Armenia confirmed multiple instances of cluster munitions being used during both the First and Second Karabakh wars.

He said that on August 15, 1992, two aircraft without state registration markings dropped cluster bombs on Azerbaijani territory, resulting in civilian casualties. 

In total, 233 people in the cities and districts of Baku, Ganja, Mingachevir, Tartar and Fuzuli were affected by cluster munition explosions. Among them were eight children and 13 women.

Safikhanov added that 182 people sustained injuries of varying severity, while the oldest person killed was 71 years old. He also noted that casualties linked to cluster munitions have been recorded in the post-war period, with 12 additional victims identified since the end of the conflict.

The Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Mines considers victims of cluster munitions to include not only those who were killed or physically injured, but also people who suffered psychological trauma, social isolation and obstacles in exercising their rights as a result of these weapons.

By Aghakazim Guliyev