Preliminary notes - message

• Date: 22 August 2019
• Published date: 22 August 2019

Message from Madame

Franc¸ oise Krill

Head of Delegation of the Pretoria Regional Delegation of the

International Committee of the Red Cross

On behalf of the Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the

Red Cross (ICRC) for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean, I welcome the

opportunity afforded me by the editorial committee of the African

Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law to extend sincere good

wishes and every success to the publication.

At the start of the third millennium many of the countries of Africa

continue to be mired in crises of one sort or another. For some of these

countries the crises might be characterised as armed conflicts, whether of

an internal or international character. Regardless of how an armed conflict

is categorised, however, the real tragedy is that the victims are not limited

to the participating combatants nor to those consciously fuelling such

conflicts - rather, it is the civilian population that is obliged seriously to

confront the horror. During the First World War a mere 15 % of the victims

of the conflict were civilians; this figure increased to 65 % during the

Second World War; in contemporary conflicts 90 % of the victims are in

fact civilians. Potentially, therefore, the impact of an armed conflict is felt

by all sectors of society – apart from combatants (whether active, or

wounded, or prisoners of war), the conflict is experienced also by

women, children, the elderly, those forcibly displaced, those who have

been interned, and, those now living under occupation.

What is often forgotten is that all persons so affected are not alone: they

enjoy the protection of one of the most advanced bodies of international

law over which there is almost universal agreement – International

Humanitarian Law (‘IHL’). The international rules that constitute this

body of law strictly limit the entitlement of belligerents, in the waging of

their conflict, indiscriminately to act. As cynical as it might initially appear,

once a conflict has broken out, the means and the methods employed are

subject to law; this law is inspired by ideals of compassion and human

dignity that reflect an understanding of the true destiny of humanity

shared by all civilisations.

It is the principal mandate of the ICRC to advance knowledge of, and

commitment to, IHL. We are strongly of the view that academe is

eminently positioned to assist us in advancing this mandate. Academics,

after all, are privileged with the formation of young minds that will,

ultimately, assume responsibility for the world of tomorrow.

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