Chapter

The African Union and international humanitarian law

Djacoba Liva Tehindrazanarivelo

Research handbook on human rights and humanitarian law

Cheltenham ; Northampton : E. Elgar, 2013

p. 503-530

English

Notwithstanding the lack of express mention of international humanitarian law (IHL) in the African Union (AU) Constitutive Act, there is undeniably an AU commitment to promote, respect and ensure respect for IHL. Such a commitment could be seen in the AU instruments relating to human rights and humanitarian concerns, in its peace and security instruments and activities, and in the AU principles and measures relating to the sanction for the violation of IHL. This chapter particularly considers in these three sections how the 53 AU member states act through the AU organs to uphold their obligation to respect and ensure respect for IHL in the conflict situations in Africa, as provided for in common article 1 of the Four Geneva Conventions to which all of them, except one, are parties.

• Research handbook on human rights and humanitarian law / ed. by Robert Kolb, Gloria Gaggioli