Laos Grapples with Unexploded Ordnance Legacy as US Senator Advocates for Cluster Munition Ban

Laos continues to face a severe legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO), with an estimated 80 million unexploded cluster submunitions remaining across the country decades after the Indochina War, according to the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the UXO/AXO Sector. Highlighting the situation in Laos, U.S. Senator Peter Welch pointed out that millions of U.S. cluster munitions dropped during the Vietnam War continue to maim and kill civilians decades later, leaving provinces bordering Vietnam heavily contaminated. While acknowledging that the United States is currently assisting with clearance efforts, he emphasized that significantly more resources are urgently required. Key Highlights of the Statement Welch stressed that unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to pose unacceptable, landmine-like risks to innocent generations, restricting economic development and threatening human life. Pointing to precedent, Welch noted a vital provision in U.S. law authored by his predecessor, Senator Patrick Leahy, which prohibits the sale or transfer of cluster munitions featuring a failure rate higher than 1%. However, he argued that further legislative and executive action is necessary. Commending global states parties and non-governmental organizations—such as Legacies of War—for their tireless advocacy, Welch urged the United States and other major powers to join both the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention. A Stand Against Indiscriminate Warfare Senator Welch concluded his address by emphasizing that cluster munitions—which scatter hundreds or thousands of submunitions over wide areas—have no place in the arsenal of civilized nations. He called for a complete international halt to the production, stockpiling, transfer, and deployment of these weapons to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe in modern and future conflicts. Laos continues to face a severe legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO), with an estimated 80 million unexploded cluster submunitions remaining across the country decades after the Indochina War, according to the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the UXO/AXO Sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed for the feasibility study, survey, design, construction and maintenance of a 75.212-kilometre section of National Road 13 South from Km 35 to the Xebangnouan Bridge at the Saravane provincial border in Savannakhet Province. Lao authorities handed over 129 Thai nationals, including 57 women, to Thai authorities on September 17, 2026, following their arrest for suspected involvement in cybercrime networks and illegal online gambling operations. Lt. Col. Phonekeo Oradom, Head of the UXO Clearance and Disaster Relief Training Centre of the Lao People’s Army, stated during a panel discussion at a side event of the ongoing 3rd Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in Vientiane on September 18, 2026, that the national unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance sector is gearing up for its first 10-year strategic plan, spanning from 2027 to 2036. On September 17, 2026 —The World Bank Group mobilized more private capital in fiscal year 2026 than in any year in its history and issued a record volume of guarantees, delivering on a goal shareholders and clients have pressed for years: putting more private capital to work alongside its own financing and expertise in developing economies. Information Source: KPL Laos News