The expression “internationalized armed conflicts” is not a legal expression as such and does not imply a third category of armed conflicts [1]. The expression rather describes situations of non-international armed conflicts [2] with a dimension that is said to be “international”. This dimension can take several forms:
1) One or more third States or an international/regional organization (the States or the organization acting through a multinational force) intervene in support of a state involved in an armed conflict against an organized armed group
[3]2) One or more third States or an international/regional organization (the States or the organization acting through a multinational force) intervene in support of an organized armed group involved in an armed conflict against a State
3) Other possible combinations between situations 1), 2) and 3).
From a legal point of view, these situations can be translated into three specific cases:
- Some remain a non-international armed conflict
[2]- Others become an international armed conflict
[4]- Others become “mixed” conflicts. In such conflicts, depending on the nature of parties to the conflict, IHL of non-international armed conflicts applies to the relations between some parties (e.g. between an armed group and an intervening outside State), while IHL of international armed conflicts applies to other relations, e.g. between to States intervening militarily in support of two adverse parties of a NIAC)
Yemen, UN Report on the Armed Conflict since 2014 [6]
ILC, Draft Articles on State Responsibility (Part A., Art. 8) [7]
ICJ, Nicaragua v. US [8] (paras 219 [9] and 254 [10])
Case Study, Armed Conflicts in the former Yugoslavia [11] (9 [12] and 26 [13])
ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Tadic [14] (A. Para. 72 [15], C. Paras. 87-162 [16])
ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Rajic (Paras. 11 and 13-31) [17]
US, Kadic et al v. Karadzic [18]
Switzerland, Military Tribunal of Division 1, Acquittal of G. [19]
Case Study, Armed Conflicts in the Great Lakes Region (3. A) [20]
India, Press Release, Violence in Kashmir [21]
Philippines, Application of IHL by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines [22]
Georgia/Russia, Human Rights Watch’s Report on the Conflict in South Ossetia [Paras 7-15] [23]
Syria, Press conference with French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin [25]
Libya, NATO Intervention 2011 [26]
ICRC, International Humanitarian Law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts in 2015 [27] (Paras 27 [28], 57-59 [29])
ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Radovan Karadzic [30]
Libya, Report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2014/15) [31]
Central African Republic: Sexual Violence by Peacekeeping Forces [32]
Central African Republic, Report of the UN Independent Expert, July 2016 [33]
Syria, Report by UN Commission of Inquiry (March 2017) [34]
Italy, Use of force against ambulances in Iraq [35]
Syria, the Battle for Aleppo [36]
Iraq/Syria/UK, Drone Operations against ISIS [37]
United Kingodm, Arms Trade With Saudi Arabia [38]
Iraq, The Battle for Mosul [40]
Eastern Ukraine, Attacks Against and Military Use of Schools [41]
Eastern Ukraine, OHCHR Report on the Situation: November 2016 - February 2017 [42]
UN, Working Group on the use of Mercenaries: Preliminary Findings of Mission to Ukraine [43]
Central African Republic, No Class: When Armed Groups Use Schools [44]
Syria: Attacks on Oil Infrastructure [45]
Eastern Ukraine: Detention And Death Sentences By Armed Groups [46]
Links
[1] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/armed-conflict
[2] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/non-international-armed-conflict
[3] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/armed-groups
[4] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/international-armed-conflict
[5] https://casebook.icrc.org/law/non-international-armed-conflict#iii_6_a
[6] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/yemen-un-report-armed-conflicts-2014
[7] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/international-law-commission-articles-state-responsibility#parta_art8
[8] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icj-nicaragua-v-united-states
[9] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icj-nicaragua-v-united-states#para_219
[10] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icj-nicaragua-v-united-states#para_254
[11] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/case-study-armed-conflicts-former-yugoslavia
[12] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/case-study-armed-conflicts-former-yugoslavia#para_9
[13] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/case-study-armed-conflicts-former-yugoslavia#para_26
[14] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icty-prosecutor-v-tadic
[15] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icty-prosecutor-v-tadic#parta_para72
[16] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icty-prosecutor-v-tadic#part_c_para_87
[17] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icty-prosecutor-v-rajic#parta_para11
[18] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/united-states-kadic-et-al-v-karadzic
[19] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/switzerland-military-tribunal-division-1-acquittal-g
[20] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/case-study-armed-conflicts-great-lakes-region-1994-2005#part_3_a
[21] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/india-press-release-violence-kashmir
[22] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/philippines-application-ihl-national-democratic-front-philippines
[23] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/georgiarussia-human-rights-watchs-report-conflict-south-ossetia#para_7
[24] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/georgiarussia-independent-international-fact-finding-mission-conflict-south-ossetia#para_2
[25] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/syria-press-conference-french-president-francois-hollande-and-russian-president-vladimir
[26] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/libya-nato-intervention-2011
[27] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icrc-international-humanitarian-law-and-challenges-contemporary-armed-conflicts-2015
[28] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icrc-international-humanitarian-law-and-challenges-contemporary-armed-conflicts-2015#challenges-2015-para27
[29] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icrc-international-humanitarian-law-and-challenges-contemporary-armed-conflicts-2015#challenges-2015-para57
[30] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icty-prosecutor-v-radovan-karadzic
[31] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/libya-report-office-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-201415
[32] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/central-african-republic-sexual-violence-peacekeeping-forces
[33] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/central-african-republic-report-un-independent-expert-july-2016
[34] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/syria-report-un-commission-inquiry-march-2017
[35] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/italy-use-force-against-ambulances-iraq
[36] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/syria-battle-aleppo
[37] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/iraqsyriauk-drone-operations-against-isis
[38] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/united-kingdom-arms-trade-saudi-arabia
[39] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/international-criminal-court-trial-judgment-case-prosecutor-v-jean-pierre-bemba-gombo
[40] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/iraq-battle-mosul
[41] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/eastern-ukraine-attacks-against-and-military-use-schools
[42] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/eastern-ukraine-ohchr-report-situation-november-2016-february-2017
[43] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/un-working-group-use-mercenaries-preliminary-findings-mission-ukraine
[44] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/central-african-republic-no-class-when-armed-groups-use-schools
[45] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/syria-attacks-oil-infrastructure
[46] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/eastern-ukraine-detention-and-death-sentences-armed-groups