International humanitarian law in the work of regional human rights courts: African and comparative trends

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Date: 16 August 2019
• Published date: 16 August 2019
• Citation: (2017) 4(2) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 1
• Pages: 1-33
• Author: Brian Sang YK

1

INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN

THE WORK OF REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS

COURTS: AFRICAN AND COMPARATIVE

TRENDS

BRIAN SANG YK*

Abstract

Regional human rights courts have applied human rights law and international

humanitarian law (IHL) when considering alleged violations in the context of

armed conflict. This offers a useful basis for examining how regional human rights

bodies have been or can be used to enforce IHL and how, and the extent to which,

human rights and IHL norms interact. But it also poses challenges to the legitimacy

and efficacy of regional bodies that apply IHL. This article analyses trends in the

application of IHL in regional human rights systems, as reflected in the work of

African, Inter-American and European human rights treaty monitoring bodies.

Supported by comparative case law, the article argues that regional human rights

courts have contributed to the implementation of IHL, albeit to various extents. It

also argues that the growing convergence of IHL and human rights norms means

that regional mechanisms can be utilised to strengthen compliance with both IHL

and human rights law. Yet this is undermined by the lack of systematic engagement

with IHL within and across regional human rights systems. To reverse this trend,

this article proposes that regional systems must clarify: (a) their competence to

directly apply IHL, or only refer to it as an aid in interpreting human r ights

law; (b) the extent to which IHL can or should influence the interpretation of

regional human rights treaties or specific norms; and (c) which body of law or, in

the alternative, the specific rule that should prevail in case of a conflict of norms.

Les tribunaux régionaux des droits de l’homme ont appliqué le droit des droits

de l’homme et le droit international humanitaire (DIH) lorsqu’ils examinent des

violations présumées dans le contexte d’un conflit armé. Cela offre une base utile

pour examiner comment les organes régionaux des droits de l’homme ont été ou

peuvent être utilisés pour appliquer le DIH; et comment et dans quelle mesure les

droits de l’homme et les normes du DIH interagissent. Mais cela pose aussi des

défis à la légitimité et à l’efficacité des organismes régionaux qui appliquent le

DIH. Cet article analyse les tendances de l’application du DIH dans les systèmes

régionaux des droits de l’homme, comme en témoignent les travaux des organes

africains, interaméricains et européens qui contrôlent l’application des traités sur les

droits de l’homme. Soutenue par une jurisprudence comparative, l’article soutient

que les tribunaux régionaux des droits de l’homme ont contribué à la mise en

œuvre du droit international humanitaire, mais à des degrés divers. Il fait également

valoir que la convergence croissante du DIH et des normes relatives aux droits de

* Research Fellow, Centre for Alternative Research on Law and Policy. E-mail:

briansang.yk@gmail.com

(2017) 4(2) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 1

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2 JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE LAW IN AFRICA VOL 4, NO 2, 2017

l’homme signifie que des mécanismes régionaux peuvent être utilisés pour renforcer

le respect du DIH et des droits de l’homme. Pourtant, cela est miné par le manque

d’engagement systématique avec le DIH au sein et entre les systèmes régionaux des

droits de l’homme. Pour inverser cette tendance, cet article propose que les systèmes

régionaux clarifient: a) leur compétence pour appliquer directement le DIH, ou ne

s’y référer que pour faciliter l’interprétation des droits de l’homme; b) la mesure

dans laquelle le DIH peut ou doit influencer l’interprétation des traités régionaux

relatifs aux droits de l’homme ou à des normes spécifiques; et c) quel droit ou,

subsidiairement, quelle règle spécifique doit prévaloir en cas de conflit de normes.

Keywords: International humanitar ian law; regional; human rights; courts

Introduction

Growing numbers of internal crises and armed conflicts have increased

the frequency with which regional human rights courts and quasi-judicial

bodies provide remedies for alleged violations of human rights law and

international humanitarian law (IHL).1 Like comparable regions, Africa

has suffered serious, widespread and systematic violations of human rights

law as well as serious breaches of IHL in the context of armed conflict.2

But unlike its European and Inter-American equivalents, there is far less

systematic analysis of how African human rights treaty bodies interact

with IHL in their work.3 This creates a gap in the discourse on how

and to what extent African human rights treaty monitoring bodies have

been or can be utilised to strengthen compliance with IHL. That the use

of IHL in the work of African human rights treaty bodies has been so

under-examined is ironic as most African human rights treaties integrate

human rights law and IHL provisions, thus providing an enabling legal

basis for the respective human rights bodies to engage with IHL.4 Even

less frequently analysed is how the impact of IHL in the work of African

human rights treaty bodies compares with that of their counterparts in

1 Rick Lawson ‘Si vis pacem, para bellum: Application of human rights Law in situations

of armed conflict’ in Lawrence Early et al (eds) The Right to Life under Artic le 2 of the European

Convention on Human Rights: Twenty Years of Legal Developments Since McCann v United Kingdom, In

Honour of Michael O’Boyle (2016) 214-15.

2 Ben Kioko & Lydia Wambugu ‘The African Union and the protection of civilians’ in Haidi

Willmot et al (eds) Protection of Civilians (2016) 275.

3 Frans Viljoen ‘The relationship between inter national human rights and humanitarian law in

the African human rights system: An institutional approach’ in Erica de Wet & Jan Kleffner (eds)

Convergence and Conflicts of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Military Operations

(2014) 303.

4 Michaela Hailbronner ‘Laws in conflict: The relationship between human rights and

international humanitarian law under the African Charter on Peoples’ and Human Rights’ (2016)

16 African Human Rights Law Journal 339.

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INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN THE WORK OF REGIONAL HUMAN

RIGHTS COURTS: AFRICAN AND COMPARATIVE TRENDS 3

the Inter-American and European systems.5 This article contributes to

the emerging comparative law on the role of African and other regional

human rights courts in the implementation of IHL and human rights law

in armed conflict-related situations.

Regional human rights bodies are increasingly having regard to

indirectly interpreting, and in some cases, directly applying IHL norms in

their respective work.6 This in turn raises questions on their competence

to apply IHL, particularly where their constitutive treaties do not expressly

confer such jurisdiction. In considering whether, and the extent to which

regional human rights bodies can engage with IHL, it is crucial that the

concerned treaty body has regard to four critical issues. First, whether it

has jurisdiction to apply IHL; second, whether it is competent to directly

apply IHL or only make reference to IHL so as to aid its interpretation of

human rights law in particular contexts; third, the extent to which IHL

can or should influence the interpretation of its constitutive treaty and

certain specific norms; and fourth, the body of law or, in the alternative,

the specific rule that ought to prevail in case of a conflict of norms.

These and other issues relating to the competence of regional human

rights bodies to apply IHL and the complex interplay of IHL and human

rights law have not been extensively analysed in the African context. As a

result, the practice of African human rights treaty bodies relating to legal

regulation of armed conflicts and their interpretive approach to IHL is

less well-known and consequently under-appreciated. This paper adopts a

comparative methodology to assess how the African, Inter-Amer ican and

European human rights bodies have addressed the issues that arise from

the interplay of human rights law and IHL. It compares trends in the way

these regional treaty bodies apply IHL with a view to drawing lessons that

may better inform the practice of African regional human rights bodies

which have had comparatively less exper ience with IHL.

Overview of the interaction of IHL and human rights law

Despite having historically divergent paths of conceptual evolution and

institutional approaches,7 human rights law and IHL are increasingly

recognised as complementary bodies of law.8 They, however, discharge their

5 Shana Tabak ‘Ambivalent enforcement: International humanitarian law at human rights

tribunals’ (2016) 37 Michigan Journal of International Law 662; Michele D’Avolio ‘Regional human

rights courts and internal armed conflicts’ (2007) 2 Intercultural Human Rights Law Review 249.

6 Lar issa van den Herik & Hellen Duffy ‘Human r ights bodies and international humanitarian

law: Common but differentiated approaches’ in Carla M Buckley et al (eds) Towards Convergence in

International Human Rights Law: Approaches of Regional and International Systems (2017) 366.

7 Rober t Kolb ‘Human rights law and international humanitarian law between 1945 and the

aftermath of the Tehran Conference in 1968’ in Robert Kolb & Gloria Gaggioli (eds) Research

Handbook on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (2013) 35-52.

8 UN Human Rights Council, Fundamental Standards of Humanity, Report of the Secretar y-

General, UN Doc. A/HRC/8/14 (2008).

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