Legal Definitions - armed conflict

An armed conflict refers to a situation of organized violence between opposing parties. This legal term is crucial in international law, particularly for determining when certain rules of war apply and when individuals can be prosecuted for specific international crimes.

Armed conflicts are generally categorized into two main types:

• International Armed Conflict: This occurs when there is sustained fighting between two or more countries (states). It does not require a formal declaration of war; the existence of hostilities between their armed forces is sufficient.
• Domestic Armed Conflict: This involves sustained fighting within the territory of a single country. It can be between a government and one or more organized non-state armed groups, or between different non-state armed groups. Importantly, isolated acts of violence, riots, or general civil unrest do not typically qualify as a domestic armed conflict. For it to be considered an armed conflict, the violence must be protracted and involve organized groups.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of armed conflict:

• Example 1 (International Armed Conflict): Two neighboring nations, "Veridia" and "Aethelgard," have a long-standing dispute over a border region rich in natural resources. After diplomatic talks fail, Veridian forces launch missile strikes against Aethelgardian military installations, and Aethelgard responds with ground incursions into the disputed territory. Despite no formal declaration of war, the ongoing, organized military actions between the armed forces of these two states constitute an international armed conflict.

  Explanation: This scenario demonstrates an international armed conflict because it involves sustained, organized hostilities directly between the armed forces of two sovereign states.

• Example 2 (Domestic Armed Conflict - Government vs. Non-State Group): In the nation of "Zylos," a well-organized rebel movement, "The Liberation Front," has been engaged in regular combat with the Zylosian government's army for over a year. The Liberation Front controls several towns, has a clear command structure, and conducts coordinated attacks, while the government attempts to regain control. This ongoing, protracted fighting within Zylos between the government and a structured non-state armed group is considered a domestic armed conflict.

  Explanation: This illustrates a domestic armed conflict as it involves protracted, organized violence within a single state between governmental authorities and an organized non-state armed group, going beyond mere internal disturbances.

• Example 3 (Domestic Armed Conflict - Non-State Group vs. Non-State Group): In a remote, ungoverned region of the country "Kaelen," two powerful and organized criminal cartels, "The Serpents" and "The Scorpions," are locked in a brutal struggle for control over illicit trade routes. Both groups possess significant weaponry, have established hierarchies, and regularly engage in large-scale armed clashes, resulting in numerous casualties and widespread disruption. This sustained, organized fighting between these two non-state armed groups within Kaelen constitutes a domestic armed conflict.

  Explanation: This example shows a domestic armed conflict occurring between two organized non-state armed groups within the territory of a state, even without direct involvement of the state's government in the fighting between them, due to the protracted and organized nature of the violence.