UN chief, Red Cross renew call for rules on lethal autonomous weapons


Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter global controls, before it is too late.

The timing of the appeal reflects growing concerns that increasingly sophisticated weapons are being made and deployed at ever greater speed and scale, boosted by increasingly powerful AI technology. Disarmament experts say that even arms manufacturers want clarity on the legal issues at stake.

Read more…
Source: United Nations news


Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Israel, Lebanon agree to ten-day ceasefire

    April 16, 2026

    A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel will begin at midnight Israel time, US President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social Post on Thursday. “Both sides want to see peace, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” Trump said. In a later statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ceasefire as “an opportunity to make ...

  • Lebanon: Hezbollah deploying FPV explosive drones against IDF forces

    April 12, 2026

    Hezbollah has increasingly been using first-person-view (FPV) explosive suicide drones against Israeli forces in Lebanon, and while these technologies and tactics have been emerging in the Levant, they have long been established in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Drone warfare has rapidly evolved in the Russia-Ukraine War, as have countermeasures, providing the Israeli military with ...

  • US and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire

    April 8, 2026

    The United States and Iran said Tuesday they have agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the war that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump initially had said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February. But he ...

  • Kuwait: EOD teams respond to 21 falling debris incidents

    April 6, 2026

    Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams handled 21 reports over the past 24 hours involving falling debris on homes and vehicles because of defensive interception operations, resulting in some injuries but no human fatalities. Speaking during the daily media briefing on the latest developments amid ongoing Iranian attacks on ...

  • Pakistan Sees 18% Drop In Violence In Q1 2026

    April 1, 2026

    During the first quarter of 2026, Pakistan recorded a nearly 18% quarter-on-quarter decline in violence related to terrorism and counter-terrorism, along with a mix of promising and concerning trends in the country’s security landscape. The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) tallied as many as 813 violence-linked fatalities and 518 injuries – among civilians, security ...

  • Iran’s cluster missiles scatter bombs and destruction across Israel

    March 4, 2026

    Iran has launched multiple ballistic missiles at Israel carrying cluster bomb warheads during the ongoing conflict, indiscriminately spreading small bombs in wide areas of the country. The warhead of such missiles opens up while descending and scatters between 24 and up to 80 smaller munitions with around 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of explosives, in a radius ...

  • Iraqi armed group, Yemen’s Houthis threaten to target US bases as Iran-Israel confrontation widens

    February 28, 2026

    Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah group on Saturday threatened to begin attacking US military bases after a strike in Jurf al-Nasr area of Iraq’s Babil province killed two people and injured three others, according to Iraqi authorities. In Yemen, the Houthi group also warned of escalation. Nasr al-Din Amer, deputy head of the group’s media authority, said “the ...

  • US and Israel launch massive attack on Iran

    February 28, 2026

    The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an astonishing joint military operation that could dramatically shift the power dynamics in the Middle East. President Donald Trump green-lit the strikes after the Islamist regime in Tehran failed to meet his expectations in nuclear negotiations. Iran quickly ...

  • Pakistan, Afghan forces clash after days of hostilities

    February 26, 2026

    Pakistani and Afghan border forces clashed on Thursday night after the Taliban launched what it called retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations, sharply escalating tensions after days of cross-border hostilities. Afghan forces opened fire on posts in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest, sparking more than two hours of fighting before Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition ...

  • Mexico, a country without drug lords

    February 24, 2026

    When the Mexican Navy killed Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of the fearsome Los Zetas cartel who pioneered narco-terrorism in Mexico, in 2012, El Mencho was just beginning to emerge. He had helped weaken that group of elite ex-military personnel and was already plotting a break with the Sinaloa Cartel to launch his solo career. By 2014, ...

  • Thailand: Border standoff eases on K5, but mines and bombs still found daily

    February 5, 2026

    The Royal Thai Army said the situation along the K5 road in Ta Phraya district, Sa Kaeo province, has not worsened, with no further advances detected by Cambodian personnel allegedly disguising themselves as civilians. However, officials warned that explosive ordnance clearance remains urgent as residents return to the disputed border area and continue to discover explosive ...

  • Kenya: Al-Shabaab attack in Garissa kills Chief and Primary School Teacher in Hulugho

    January 26, 2026

    A Location Chief and a primary school teacher were killed early Monday in a suspected al-Shabaab attack in Hulugho town, Garissa County. The victims were identified as Abdifatah Mohamud, Boma Location Chief, and Stephen Vundi Musili, a teacher at Hulugho Primary School. According to police reports, the assailants first invaded the chief’s residence, shooting him at ...

  • Nigeria: Dozens of terrorists killed as ISWAP and Boko Haram clash in Borno

    January 22, 2026

    Dozens of terrorists were killed on both sides after a renewed violent encounter between the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and elements of the Bukura faction loyal to Abu Umaima along the Lake Chad Basin axis of Abadam Local Government Area of Borno. The clash started in the early hours of Tuesday, around 6:00 a.m., ...

  • Syria: YPG drone strike kills 7 soldiers in Hassakeh despite cease-fire

    January 21, 2026

    ven Syrian soldiers were killed and 20 others injured when a YPG drone struck an ammunition site in northeastern Hassakeh, the Syrian Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing the ministry’s Media and Communications Department, said army units discovered a workshop for manufacturing improvised explosive devices and drone munitions near the al-Yarubiyah ...

  • Colombia: 26 killed in battle between rival guerrilla factions in Guaviare province

    January 19, 2026

    A major battle between two rival guerrilla organizations in southern Colombia left 26 suspected fighters dead, according to the regional army commander said Monday. Authorities were able to recover the bodies of the suspected guerrillas around La Paz, a township on the border of the Amazon jungle in the Guaviare province. Local organizations and regional authorities ...