Legal Definitions - special truce

A special truce is a temporary agreement between opposing parties in a conflict to stop fighting for a very specific and limited purpose, often in a defined area or for a short duration. Unlike a general truce, which might cover all fighting across a broad front, a special truce is narrowly tailored to achieve a particular, immediate objective without necessarily signaling a broader desire for peace or a complete end to the conflict. It is an agreed-upon exception to ongoing hostilities, typically for practical or humanitarian reasons.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a special truce:

• Humanitarian Aid Corridor: During an armed conflict, two opposing forces agree to a 48-hour "special truce" in a specific besieged city. This allows humanitarian organizations to safely enter the city, deliver essential food and medical supplies to civilians, and evacuate the wounded, without fear of attack from either side.

  This illustrates a special truce because it is temporary (48 hours), limited in scope (only in that city), and for a specific humanitarian purpose (aid delivery and evacuation), rather than a general cessation of all fighting across the entire conflict zone.

• Prisoner Exchange: Two rival factions engaged in a long-standing civil war negotiate a "special truce" for a single day at a designated border crossing. The purpose is to allow for the safe exchange of prisoners of war held by each side, under the supervision of international observers.

  This is a special truce because it is a temporary halt to hostilities (one day), confined to a specific location (border crossing), and dedicated to a very particular objective (prisoner exchange), without implying a broader ceasefire or peace negotiations.

• Recovery of Casualties: Following an intense battle in a mountainous region, the commanders of two opposing armies agree to a "special truce" lasting six hours within a defined valley. This allows both sides to safely retrieve their dead and wounded soldiers from the battlefield without further engagement.

  This demonstrates a special truce as it is a brief, localized cessation of fighting (six hours, defined valley) for the specific, practical purpose of recovering casualties, distinct from a general ceasefire that would encompass all military operations.