International humanitarian law is today more important and more relevant than ever.

You may have

heard on the news and on social media about possible war crimes being committed in conflict situations
like for example in Syria, Ukraine, or Yemen. But under which circumstances is international
humanitarian law actually applicable? Welcome to this module on the Scope of Application of
International Humanitarian Law.

We will introduce you to the concepts of international and non-international armed conflicts and you
will see which rules come into play in these two types of war.

Let's now have a look at some examples which might amount to a so-called armed conflict to
understand what are the main conditions for triggering the applicability of IHL.

Since 2011, a brutal war has been fought in Syria with multiple parties involved. In this armed conflict for
over seven years, different rebel groups have been fighting against Assad's government as the result of
the Arab Spring.

Both sides have received military and financial support from third states. Meanwhile, the terrorist group
ISIS has taken over control over part of the territory in Syria which has led to bombings from countries
like the US, France, and Russia.

In the context of this conflict, civilians have been targeted, chemical weapons seem to have been used,
cultural property has been destroyed, and fighters have been captured and tortured. Let me give you
another example of a modern conflict situation.

In 2014, after a series of demonstrations and the fall of the Ukrainian President, Russian troops took
over the Crimea, an area in the south of Ukraine, and annexed it subsequently.

A few months later, Russian soldiers conducted several attacks on the territory of Ukraine, thereby
supporting pro-Russian rebel groups operating in the eastern part of the country. The conflict in Ukraine
has led to thousands of victims including the death of a member of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe that was monitoring the security situation on the ground.

While a lot of international attention has been focused on the conflict in Syria and Ukraine, the conflict
in Yemen and the resulting humanitarian crisis has initially gathered not much attention. For over a
decade, there have been tensions in Yemen between the government and a number of rebel groups.

When President Hadi's government was overthrown in spring 2015, an international coalition consisting
of nine states led by Saudi Arabia started a military intervention into Yemen in order to fight against the
rebels.

Recently, reports have been published which indicate that civilians became victims of attacks among
others while attending a funeral and a wedding. These are just three examples of various modern
conflict situations involving a plurality of actors.
There are several important factors to consider when we analyze a conflict. First of all: When is IHL
applicable? And are we dealing with an international or a non-international armed conflict? What does
the involvement of the different factions mean for the characterization of a conflict? From which
moment are civilians protected by the rules of IHL in such cases? Finally, when does a non-international
armed conflict become international? Play video starting at :3:39 and follow transcript3:39

To answer these questions, we will introduce you to the concepts of international armed conflicts and
non-international armed conflicts, and you will see which rules come into play in these two types of war.
You will also become familiar with the special situation of belligerent occupation, foreign intervention,
and non-international armed conflicts which might have spill-over effects into neighboring countries.

At the end of this module, you can classify current conflicts such as the one fought in Syria, Ukraine, and
Yemen and you will be able to indicate which set of rules protect the victims of war in such cases. So,
please explore with us the scope of application of international humanitarian law and learn how to
classify conflicts in this setting!