Armed conflict: A glossary of terms

Written by Sebastian Clapp.

Drawing on authoritative sources, this glossary offers an overview of common terms used in discussing situations of armed conflict.

• Armed conflict. ‘An armed conflict is said to exist when there is an armed confrontation between the armed forces of States (international armed conflict), or between governmental authorities and organised armed groups or between such groups within a State (non-international armed conflict). Other situations of violence, such as internal disturbances and tensions are not considered to be armed conflicts.’ (International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC)
• Armistice. A military agreement that puts an end to ongoing hostilities. There are two types of armistice: general (which halts all military operations) and local (which stops operations in a specific area). If the armistice’s duration is not specified, belligerent parties may resume operations at any time, subject to prior notice and in compliance with the terms of the armistice. The state of war continues, with all of its legal ramifications, even after an armistice ends.
• Ceasefire. A suspension of fighting decided by the conflict parties, usually as part of a political process. It often encompasses the whole geographic region affected by the conflict and is intended to be long-term. Usually, the goal is to facilitate communication between the parties, with the ultimate goal of reaching a long-term political agreement.
• Cessation of hostilities (or ‘truce’). The suspension of active hostilities, designed to give conflict parties permission to pause fighting for a variety of reasons, such as to engage in political discourse and work towards a long-term truce. The ICRC uses the term ‘truce’ interchangeably with ‘suspension of hostilities’.
• Civilian. ‘Any person who is not a combatant. When civilians take a direct part in fighting, they lose their protection from attack. (When there is any doubt about a person’s status, he or she shall be considered to be a civilian)’ – ICRC.
• Combatant. In international humanitarian law, the term ‘combatant’ in international armed conflicts refers to members of the armed forces of a party to the conflict (except medical and religious personnel) who are entitled to take a direct part in hostilities. Combatants are obliged to distinguish themselves from civilians and to abide by international humanitarian law. If combatants fall into the hands of their adversaries, they are considered to be ‘prisoners of war’ – ICRC.
  • Non-combatant. ‘A civilian, or a combatant who is hors de combat’. Hors de combat, a term whose literal meaning is ‘out of the fight’, describes ‘combatants who have been captured or wounded or who are sick or shipwrecked, or who have laid down their arms or surrendered, and thus are no longer in a position to fight’ – ICRC.
• Customary international humanitarian law. General practice accepted as international law; this practice is evident, for instance, in official statements made by states, national laws, and case law.
• Days of tranquillity. A mechanism used mostly by UNICEF, frequently in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), to provide children with access to healthcare during times of conflict, such as by carrying out nationwide immunisation campaigns or other solely humanitarian endeavours. All relevant parties must consent to days of tranquillity, to allow access to medical and other personnel, and must refrain from interfering with their work during those days.
• De-confliction arrangements. The sharing of logistical data to arrange the timing and locations of relief operations between parties involved in the conflict and humanitarian actors. These agreements guarantee that military operations do not put beneficiaries in danger, obstruct the delivery of relief supplies or the execution of humanitarian operations, or jeopardise the lives of humanitarian actors.
• Geneva Conventions. Four treaties adopted in Geneva in 1949 that are the cornerstone of contemporary international humanitarian law and are universally accepted. Every state in the world had acceded to the conventions as of 2006. The four Geneva Conventions protect different groups of people during armed conflict: sick and wounded military personnel in the field; sick and wounded military personnel at sea; prisoners of war; and civilian populations.
  • Additional Protocol I. A treaty adopted in 1977 that applies to international armed conflicts and enhances the protection offered by the four Geneva Conventions. It reinforces the protection of civilians and places additional limitations on how military operations may be carried out.
  • Additional Protocol II. A treaty adopted in 1977 that applies in non-international armed conflicts of a higher intensity than the circumstances covered by Article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions. It also enhances the protection offered by the four Geneva Conventions. Additional Protocol II covers non-international armed conflicts that occur on a state’s territory between that state’s armed forces and organised armed groups or dissident armed forces that are under responsible command, control a portion of the state’s territory, and are capable of conducting coordinated and prolonged military operations.
• Humanitarian corridor. Specific routes and logistical methods decided upon by all relevant parties to permit the safe movement of civilians and/or supplies between locations during hostilities.
• Humanitarian pause. A temporary cessation of hostilities purely for humanitarian purposes. It usually requires the consent of all relevant parties and is intended to allow humanitarian activities within a designated geographic area and timeframe.
• International armed conflict. Said to exist ‘when armed force is used by at least two States against each other even if one of the States does not recognize that it is at war. A state of occupation or a war of national liberation also constitutes an international armed conflict’ – ICRC.
  • Non-international armed conflict. Non-international armed conflict constitutes ‘the use of armed force between governmental authorities and organized armed groups or between such groups within a State. Situations of non-international armed conflict are regulated by common Article 3 and by Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions’ – ICRC.
• International humanitarian law. A body of international law comprised of treaties and customary laws that aims to protect those who are not, or who are no longer, engaged in hostilities. It seeks to restrict the methods and means that may be used in warfare and otherwise lessen the suffering that results from armed conflict.
• (International) human rights law. A body of laws established by custom and treaty with the aim of shielding people’s lives and human dignity from the capricious actions of governments. Everybody is subject to human rights law at all times.
• Jus ad bellum. Literal meaning: ‘law on resort to war’; denotes the legal circumstances, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN), when one state may resort to the use of force against another.

• Jus in bello. Literal meaning: ‘law in war’; also referred to as ‘international humanitarian law’ (IHL).
• Temporary cessation of hostilities. A suspension of fighting decided by all relevant parties, agreed upon for a specific timeframe. It may be undertaken for a number of reasons, including humanitarian ones. The agreement specifies the operational region as well as the timeframe within which particular humanitarian tasks will be completed. As long as the suspension of hostilities remains in force, and failing agreement to the contrary, there must be no change in the positions of the opposing forces.

Sources: ICRC Glossary, Exploring Humanitarian Law; Oxford Public International Law Database; UN OCHA: Glossary of Terms: Pauses During Conflict.

Read this infographic on ‘Armed conflict: A glossary of terms‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.