EXAMINING THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIAN POPULATION DURING ARMED CONFLICT

Abstract

The protection of civilian population during armed conflict is a critical issue, as it was through the distant blurry past, of ancient times, right up to this contemporary era, it has been established that humanity has always had defined patterns and rules of engagement when it comes to the art of warfare. In our society of today, such patterns are even more profound as the existence of certain laws have circumscribed the bounds of conflicts both domestically and internationally, with particular emphasis on the protection of civilians caught up in such hostilities. The objective of the study finds out the trends in the protection of civilian population during armed conflicts. Most of these significant normative developments that seek to protect civilians in armed conflicts came into existence in the aftermath of the Second World War, which wrecked so much havoc on mankind. Being that as it may, a critical evaluation of the level of adherence to the dictates of these regulations and protocols reveals that there exist a lot of loopholes in their implementation globally. This study appraises the provisions of international humanitarian law as regards the protection of civilian lives and objects in the course of armed conflicts. The study adopts doctrinal methodology using primary and secondary sources. This study find out that the Civilians can become victims of armed conflicts, as attacks and military operations directed at military objectives are not prohibited merely because they may also affect civilians.� The study concludes that there is need that international government bodies should work in synergy with concerned agencies to restore security in areas of conflicts and take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of the civilians and adopt legal mechanisms to prevent wars.

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urn:uuid:472ad824-7660-45fe-a8ca-df53d37b8a8e