Protecting Civilians In Darfur Under International Humanitarian Law

The armed conflict in Darfur between Sudanese armed forces, their affiliated militia and various rebels, has inflicted unspeakable consequences upon civilians, their villages, towns, homes and other civilian objects (in particular relief assistance). The international community, including Sudan, has made and is still making various efforts to secure peace and to stop violations of humanitarian principles in Darfur, including the controversial referral of some cases to the ICC and the deployment of peace keepers which constitute the main features of the responses. Scholarly focus has been on the criminal side of the issue. This research deals with the international humanitarian law principles relating to the protection of civilians in the conflict. It examines the nature of the conflict, the applicability of principles of international humanitarian law to the crisis in Darfur and weaknesses and strengths, if any. The legal issues raised by the international community in response to the conflict in relation to physical protection f civilians and the duties of the parties to the conflict to comply with IHL principles in carrying out their activities. It is argued that while the primary responsibility to stop violating civilian immunity rests on the warring parties there, and the regional approach to prevent widespread Il-IL violations in Darfur may have some obvious advantages, the nature of the concerns at issue necessitates a concerted, adequate and timely global action to prevent further atrocities on the ground. The research concludes with some suggestions which may help further prevent armed violence against civilians.