Throughout the Lusaka peace process, the number of incidents involving armed assaults and clashes gradually increased. UNITA rebels denied they were responsible, blaming uncontrolled bandits for much of the violence.
Field investigations by Human Rights Watch in July and August found that although a number of these incidents may have been acts of banditry, the majority were organized and coordinated military operations by UNITA or by government forces.
International Law Governing the Crisis. Although outright war began in December, military operations had been ongoing in Angola throughout The conflict in Angola constitutes an internal armed conflict under the laws of war, also known as international humanitarian law. Angola is a party to the Geneva Conventions and its two additional protocols. Virtually a convention within a convention, common article 3 provides in relevant part:.
In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:. To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:. The Protocol II additional to the Geneva Conventions is also directed at internal armed conflicts, and elaborates these fundamental guarantees of humane conduct and they should denote two areas of protection of civilians.
They shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction. It is prohibited to order that there shall be no survivors. The principle of protection of civilians is at the core of both provisions, and indeed, is fundamental to all humanitarian law. A civilian is anyone who is not a member of the armed forces or of any armed group of a party to the conflict. Included as protected persons are also members of government or insurgent forces who are wounded, sick, seeking to surrender or in captivity.
