“Whenever a large organized group believes it has the right to resist the sovereign power and considers itself capable of resorting to arms, war between the two parties should take place in the same manner as between nations…” This statement by de Vattel in the 19th century seemed destined to take its place as a part of positive law, constituting part of what was known as recognition of belligerency, tantamount to the recognition by the established government of an equal status for insurgents and regular belligerents. When a civil war became extensive enough, the State attacked would understand that it was wisest to acknowledge the existence of a state of war with part of the population. This would, at the same time, allow the conflict to be seen in a truer light. The unilateral action of the legal government in recognizing belligerency would be the condition for granting belligerent rights to the parties. It would constitute a demonstration of humanity on the part of the government of the State attacked and would also provide that government with prospects for effective pursuit of the war. By admitting that it was forced to resort to war, it would at least have its hands free to make war seriously.

Did Poland, whose territory was divided up between Prussia, Russia and Austria at the end of the 18th century and which did not regain its independence until 1918, contribute in the 19th century to the ideas underlying humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts?

The political conditions under which the Polish people were then living, while they devoted all their energies to the fight for independence, encouraged them to study and consider various aspects of wars of national liberation. Their thinking was marked by much originality, with some special characteristics that are worth recalling.

The ICRC has reorganized its Medical Division.

Under the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. R. Käser, medical function is increasingly prominent in the work of the International Committee. The Chief Medical Officer has, first of all, to examine all problems of a medical and paramedical nature and to deal with them in the light of ICRC's thought and of its humanitarian mandate, to follow and to promote the development of humanitarian law and its dissemination in the field of health services, then to take all practical measures required by the medical aspects of the ICRC's traditional duties of protection and assistance.

On 20 December 1976, there were a number of serious clashes in Majunga, in the north-west of Madagascar, between Malagasy citizens and immigrants from the Comores who had been resident in Madagascar for many years. As a result of these incidents, the Government of the Comores decided, with the agreement of the Malagasy authorities, to repatriate the Comorian community in Majunga, numbering some 16,000 persons, who, in the interim, had been concentrated in camps provided by the army. The Government of the Comores called for international assistance, including that of the ICRC, to enable it to carry out this task.

From 3 to 20 January 1977, a group of experts, convened by the Secretary-General of the Diplomatic Conference, met to prepare—in the various languages—the texts of the articles already adopted by the Conference Committees.

The ICRC was, of course, also represented, in the person of Mr. Claude Pilloud, who was in permanent attendance, while the Head of the Legal Division and some of its staff joined in the discussion of certain specific articles.

The preparation of the work had been undertaken in September 1976 by the Conference Secretariat with the help of ICRC experts.