Combatant or civilian? Hamidu's story

In wartime, civilians suffer the most. Families are separated. Homes are destroyed. Food and water is scarce. Schools close. People are wounded or killed. Lives are shattered. Hamidu's story: reunited with his family ending five years of separation. Understanding this, governments from around the world adopted new rules of international law in 1977 to improve the protection that civilians are entitled to in wartime. Known as Protocols I and II additional to the Geneva Conventions, these rules placed limits on the way wars may be fought. They were especially created to deal with the changing nature of armed conflict and advances in weapons technology.
The duty to distinguish between civilians and combatants is a key feature of the Additional Protocols. They say that all sides of an armed conflict must draw this distinction and that no one may target civilians. The warring parties must also distinguish between civilian objects, such as homes and places of worship, and military targets. http://www.icrc.org

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• red cross
• international red cross
• icrc
• geneva conventions
• victims of war
• children in war
• armed conflict
• war
• displacement