International humanitarian law seeks to limit the excesses of warfare and regulate the conduct of armed hostilities. But it is often ignored. Using ethnographic case studies from southern Africa, researcher Darlington Tshuma underlines the growing importance of integrating indigenous practices into the application of humanitarian law in armed hostilities.
What are the gaps in international humanitarian law?
Firstly, many people in Africa, including non-state armed groups, are sceptical of the international legal system. Governments and non-state actors see it as an unwelcome intrusion and an extension of neo-colonialism.
