The Law of Military Occupation

Completed in December 2008

This research project looked at the protection of civilian populations subject to the control of a foreign army by analyzing the link between the international law of military occupation and human rights.

While adopting a global approach to military occupation, the project focused more specifically on the nature and evolution of the regimes implemented in Afghanistan and Iraq. It identified uncertain areas of, or even loopholes in, the applicable law and proposed an update of an old legal regime that dates back mainly to 1907 and 1949.

Research Team

This research project was carried out by Robert Kolb and Silvain Vité.

OUTPUT

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Map of the RULAC online portal with the pop-up window on the non-international armed conflicts in Sudan News

RULAC Classifies a New Non-International Armed Conflict in Sudan

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 RULAC online portal just classified a parallel NIAC between Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Hamadan.

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Online learning visual News

44 Professionals Begin Their Online Learning Journey in Our Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict

25 September 2023

Hailing from 30 different countries, the 44 participants bring a wealth of experience from a wide range of sectors, including international organizations, NGOs, government entities, development agencies, law firms, and the private sector.

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Cover page of the book Event

Armed Groups and International Law: A Legal Shadowland

10 October 2023, 12:30-14:30

On the occasion of the launch in Geneva of the volume Armed Groups and International Law. In the Shadowland of Legality and Illegality, panelists will reflect on the status of armed groups within a complex legal landscape.

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Ruined houses of Borodianka, Ukraine Event

2023 Current Issues in Armed Conflict Conference

26 October 2023

This annual conference co-organized with the University of Essex provides a space for experts and practitioners, diplomats, academics, young scholars and civil society representatives to discuss contemporary legal issues in armed conflict.

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The International Court of Justice in session Short Course

Sources of Public International Law

25 October - 28 November 2023

This online short course dwells on the means of international law-making (treaties, customary international law, unilateral acts, general principles of law etc.). In other words, the course looks at the sources from which public international law rules stem and at the entities that are empowered with the capacity of law-making in the international legal order.

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Somalia, explosion of a bomb in the Mogadishu's market place. Short Course

The Classification of Armed Conflicts

13 October - 17 November 2023

This online short course provides an in-depth study of an emblematic example of the complexity of international humanitarian law and the challenges it raises: the classification of armed conflicts.

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Screenshot of the RULAC webpage Project

Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)

Started in May 2007

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.

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A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

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Cover page of the Working Paper Publication

Exploring Counterterrorism Effectiveness and Human Rights Law

published on September 2023

Gloria Gaggioli, Michael Moncrieff , Ilya Sobol

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Cover page of the research brief Publication

Youth Associated with Non-State Armed Groups: Building an Evidence Base on Disengagement Pathways and Reintegration Challenges

published on September 2023

Erica Harper, Yosuke Nagai

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