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Lessons for the law of armed conflict from commitments of armed groups: identification of legitimate targets and prisoners of war

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2011

Sandesh Sivakumaran
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Abstract

Armed groups frequently issue ad hoc commitments that contain a law of armed conflict component. These commitments detail the obligation of the relevant armed group to abide by international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, or particular rules set out in the commitment. They commit the group to abide by international standards, sometimes exceed international standards, or in certain respects violate international standards. Although these commitments are often overlooked, they offer certain lessons for the law of armed conflict. This article considers the commitments of armed groups with respect to two specific areas of the law that are either of contested interpretation or seemingly inapplicable to non-international armed conflicts, namely the identification of legitimate targets and the prisoners of war regime.

Type
Armed Groups and International Law
Information
International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 93 , Issue 882: Understanding armed groups and the applicable law , June 2011 , pp. 463 - 482
Copyright
Copyright © International Committee of the Red Cross 2011

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