ARMED conflicts killed at least 95,000 people and wounded hundreds of thousands more last year but few of them led to any punishment for war crimes because the laws are unclear, a Swiss-based think tank says.
In an analysis aimed at clearing the way for more war crimes prosecutions, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law determined there were at least 38 armed conflicts in 24 nations and territories in 2012, including Syria's civil war, based on their interpretation of international humanitarian law.
| Are they sure that isn't "emerging" international humanitarian law? Promulgated by white Europeans who secure in the cafes of Zurich and Rotterdam? |
The findings are important because perpetrators of war crimes can be held accountable only in connection with recognisable armed conflicts.
| Recognized by whom, exactly? Can we at the Burg do the recognizing? |
Academics say there was little justice because of confusion over what qualifies as an armed conflict under international humanitarian law.
"It is not always clear when a situation is an armed conflict, and hence when war crimes can be prosecuted," said Andrew Clapham, an international law professor who directs the academy.
| Professor Clapham will need several grants funded over the next five years to figure out what situations are armed conflicts. Give him the money and he'll get right on it... |
About 55,000 people were killed in Syria last year, the academy said. The next highest casualties were in Mexico, with 9000, and Afghanistan, with 7500.
Countries including Turkey, Mexico and Thailand do not recognise armed conflicts on their territory, the study said. But there were a few instances in which the law prevailed last year, such as when Britain and the US prosecuted troops for war crimes in Afghanistan.
The analysis found only one international armed conflict last year - between Sudan and South Sudan - but said it could be argued that the conflict between the US and Pakistan over drones would qualify as a second one. Nine of the armed conflicts, the analysis said, involved continuing military occupations: in Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Eritrea, Georgia, Lebanon, Moldova, Palestine, Syria and Western Sahara.
But most of them - 27 armed conflicts in 24 nations and territories - were "non-international" because they involved the governments and armed groups within their borders. |