Geneva Academy>
2 May 2023
In addition to the ongoing non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) that oppose the Sudanese armed forces to a number of non-state armed groups in the country, our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict (RULAC) online portal just classified a parallel NIAC between Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Hamadan.
Since the fighting between RSF and the Sudanese Army began on 15 April 2023, clashes have been reported across Sudan in Darfur, Merowe, al-Fasher, el-Obeid, Nyala, Kassala, Kabkabiya, the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Gadariff, Damazin, and Kosti.
‘Both the intensity of these clashes, along with the level of organization of RSF allow us to conclude today to the existence of a NIAC – despite the adoption and extension of a ceasefire agreement as violence continues’ underlines Dr Chiara Redaelli, Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy.
‘As a consequence, international humanitarian law applies to these clashes and war crimes can be committed in this context’ she adds.
The entry on this conflict provides detailed information about this armed group, the classification and applicable international law.
The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC) online portal systematically qualifies situations of armed violence using the definition of armed conflict under international humanitarian law. RULAC also identifies the parties to these conflicts and applicable international law. It currently monitors more than 110 armed conflicts involving at least 55 states and more than 70 armed non-State actors.
Adobe
Discover our resources and what our experts and alumni say about the current situation in Israel and Palestine, with regular updates to include new events, articles, podcasts and comments.
Geneva Academy
Students from our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights took part in a pleading exercise on the 2008 South Ossetia armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.
OUP
In this book launch our Swiss IHL Chair, Professor Marco Roscini, will discuss the main findings of his new book on the principle of non-intervention with leading experts.
ICRC
This online short course discusses the protection offered by international humanitarian law (IHL) in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) and addresses some problems and controversies specific to IHL of NIACs, including the difficulty to ensure the respect of IHL by armed non-state actors.
UNAMID
This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.
The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.