Applicability of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) On Non-State Actors

Abstract or Introduction

In this paper the author addresses whether the international humanitarian law applicable in non state actors of armed conflict in the contemporary world. There is no long-lasting peace in the history of the human being. The world has passed through conflicts and wars for centuries. The Second World War was the most prominent and devastating in its nature. Millions of people were dead, world economic development being stagnated and millions of children became orphans. And hence, we peoples of the world are in a need to come up with compressive rules and procedures to govern the ongoing conflicts. That is why the International humanitarian law (here after called IHL) was designed.

IHL is a subject matter that regulates the conduct of war. IHL does not prevent war from being happened, rather it regulates the conduct of already happened war and it gives equal protection to those parties which are within the conflict without a need to observe their status in order to balance military necessity and humanity. While the very nature of twenty-one century warfare has arguably undergone significant developments in recent years, it is widely noted that non-State actors actively play an increasingly substantial role in contemporary violent conflicts. Although non-State actors have been fighting against States throughout history, they were subject to domestic law enforcement.

As the nature of war evolves due to non-state actors exerting influence, and subsequently their role as agents to armed conflict become prevailing around the world. Enhancing compliance with international norms by armed non-state actors is central to efforts to improve the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Limited engagement with such actors, as well as lack of clarity as to the precise nature and extent of the international legal regimes that are apply to them; constitute significant barriers to achieving better compliance. The spectrum of new types of non-state actors is broad, “encompassing a range of identities, motivations and varying degrees of willingness and ability, to observe IHL and other international law standards.’’