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Africa and Humanitarian Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2010

Vangah Francis Wodie
Vangah Francis Wodie*
Affiliation:
Dean of the Faculty of Law of the National University of the Côte d'Ivoire
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Abstract

The International Review of the Red Cross is pleased to publish this essay by Professor Vangah Francis Wodie on the perception of humanitarian law by African states, and their contribution to this law's development in view of the problems confronting them. The essay reflects the personal views of the author, who gives special attention to the legal and humanitarian problems facing many states as a result of the influx of refugees and the use of mercenaries in some conflicts.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of the Red Cross (1961 - 1997) , Volume 26 , Issue 254 , October 1986 , pp. 249 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © International Committee of the Red Cross 1986

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Footnotes

*

Report presented to the Inaugural Conference of the African Association of International Law, Lusaka, 2 to 5 April 1986.

References

1 Diallo, Yolande, “Humanitarian Law and Traditional African Law”, International Review of the Red Cross (IRRC) No. 179, 02 1976, pp. 57–63 CrossRefGoogle Scholar, cited by J. Owona, Le Droit International Humanitaire, Encyclopédic juridique de l'Afrique, Les Nouvelles Editions Africaines, Abidjan/Dakar/Lomé, 1982; vol. II, ch. XVI, p. 384.Google Scholar

2 Pictet, J., Humanitarian Law and the Protection of War Victims, A.W. Sijthoff, Leiden, Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva, 1975, p. 13 Google Scholar cited by J. Owona, le Droit International Humanitaire, Encyclopédie juridique de l'Afrique, op. cit., p. 381 Google Scholar and Bretton, Philippe, “Remarques générales sur les travaux de la Conférence de Genève sur la réaffirmation et le développement du droit humanitaire applicable dans les conflits armés”, Annuaire français de droit international (AFDI), Paris, 1977, pp. 197 et s.Google Scholar

3 Pilloud, Claude, “Reservations to the Geneva Conventions of 1949,” IRRC, 03 1976, No. 180, p. 116 CrossRefGoogle Scholar, cited by Owona, , op. cit., p. 381.Google Scholar

4 See Wodie, V.F., “La sécession du Biafra et le droit international”, Revue générate de droit international public (RGDIP), Paris, 1969, No. 4.Google Scholar

5 Bothe, Michael, “Conflits armés internes et droit international humanitaire”, RGDIP, 1978, No. 1, pp. 82 et s.Google Scholar

6 de la Pradelle, Paul, “Le droit humanitaire des conflits armes”, RGDIP, 1978, No. 1, pp. 9 ff.Google Scholar

7 With the assistance and support of the socialist states.

8 See on this point Abi-Saab, Georges, “Quelques concepts juridiques techniques concernant l'admission et l'expulsion de réfugiés en portant attention particulière à l'Afrique”, Pan-African Conference on the situation of refugees in Africa, Meeting of experts on legal issues, Arusha, 7–11 May 1979, UNHCR, Geneva, 1984.Google Scholar

9 The reader will find useful information in the following documents:

— Seminar on the situation of refugees in West Africa, Dakar, Senegal, 13–17 June 1983, UNHCR, Geneva, 1983.

— Final report of the seminar on the problems of refugees in Zaire, Kinshasa, 19–25 April 1982, UNHCR, Geneva, 1982.

— Jaeger, G., “Determination of Refugee Status under International Instruments”, in African Refugees and the Law, ed. by Melander, G., Nobel, P., The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, Uppsala, 1978 Google Scholar.

— Seminar on the situation of refugees in Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 18–22 February 1985, UNHCR, Geneva, 1985.

— Recommendations of the Pan-African Conference on the situation of refugees in Africa, Arusha, 7–17 May 1979, UNHCR, Geneva, 1984.

10 Resolution 289 of 23 November 1970 was devoted to the invasion of Guinea by Portuguese mercenaries. Earlier, resolution 2465 (XXIII) of 20 December 1968, proposed by the USSR to give effect to the declaration concerning the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples, condemned mercenarism directed against Movements of National Liberation and independence of peoples as a criminal act, and defined mercenaries themselves as criminals. Likewise the declaration concerning the principles of international law affecting friendly relations and co-operation between states (resolution 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970 made it obligatory for states to abstain from encouraging mercenarism in their mutual relations. The same concerns were repeated in resolution 3314 (XXIX) of 24 December 1974 defining aggression.

Concerning these points see Tercinet, J., “Les mercenaires et le droit international”, AFDI, Paris, 1977, pp. 269 ff.Google Scholar

11 Tercinet, J., op. cit, p. 278.Google Scholar

12 Examples are provided by the resolution of 10 September 1967 of the OAU Council of Ministers, the resolution of 14 September 1967 of the Conference of Heads of State, the resolutions of the Special Commission on the problem of mercenaries of 12 November 1967 and the Council of Ministers of 12 December 1970, condemning the practice of mercenarism and the invasion of Guinea by mercenaries which was regarded as an aggression. At the Conference of OAU Heads of State in September 1967 in Zaire, a resolution was passed asking the states to treat mercenarism as a crime. In national terms, Angola, Guinea and Benin played decisive roles. The trial of mercenaries in Luanda in 1976, characterized by Owona as the “Nuremburg of mercenaries” contributed directly to a growing consciousness of the evil and to the adoption of the OAU Convention on the elimination of mercenarism in 1977.

13 Laugier, P., “Les volontaires internationaux”, RGDIP, Paris, 1976, pp. 75–116 Google Scholar, cited by Owona, J., op. cit., p. 394.Google Scholar

14 Cited by Owona, , op. cit., p. 394.Google Scholar

15 Bretton, Philippe: “L'incidence des guerres contemporaines sur la réaffirmation et le developpement du droit international humanitaire applicable dans les conflits armés internationaux et non internationaux”, Journal de droit International (JDI), 04–06 1978, No. 2, pp. 208–271.Google Scholar

16 Protocol I, art. 44, paragraph 5.

17 Cited by Bretton, Philippe, “L'incidence des guerres contemporaines sur la réaffirmation et le développement du droit international humanitaire applicable dans les conflits armés internationaux et non internationaux,” JDI, 04–06 1978, No. 2, p. 234.Google Scholar