About the author(s):
Yiokasti Mouratidi is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of International and Operational Law at the Swedish Defence University, jointly with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance at Utrecht University. Her PhD focuses on compliance with the law of armed conflict, particularly through the lens of technological developments. Previously, Yiokasti obtained her LLM in Public International Law from Utrecht University (2022) and her LLB in Law with European Law from the University of Nottingham (2019). Yiokasti has a strong interest in international humanitarian law and international security law.
In the last few weeks, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation have both declared a public health emergency over the ongoing mpox outbreak, with a new strain reportedly first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While vaccine rollout in the region has faced delays due to high costs and regulatory issues, officials are citing additional issues in administering the vaccine in territories controlled by armed groups, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Nigeria. Elsewhere, the UN is undertaking a complex operation in Gaza to vaccinate children against polio, following the contraction of the disease by a 10-month-old baby for the first time in 25 years. To facilitate the rollout, Israel agreed to pauses in fighting between certain hours and within certain geographical parameters at a time, as the vaccination efforts are undertaken across Gaza.
Both developments highlight the public health risks that can directly or indirectly arise as a result of armed conflicts, as well as the security threats faced by aid workers in carrying out their work in these settings. As a result, agreement is often sought from the parties to the conflict to facilitate the safe administration of public health measures and provision of other humanitarian aid.
Below, you can revisit previous analyses on this blog regarding the administration of vaccinations, and humanitarian aid more generally, in rebel-controlled territories and conflict settings.
AGIL posts on armed groups and vaccinations, against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic
“Ensuring vaccination in territories under the control of non-state armed groups” by Nathalie Weizmann
“Three birds with one stone: the potential of special agreements to vaccinate in non-international armed conflicts” by Alexander Grimmig
AGIL posts on administering humanitarian aid in conflict settings
“Humanitarian assistance in siege contexts: a contradiction in terms?” by Duncan McLean and Maelle L’Homme
“Humanitarian assistance: at the mercy of territorial state’s consent and the consequences of trespassing it” by Daniela Ciobanu
“Non-state armed groups, territorial state and weaponization of humanitarian aid: is state consent necessary?” by Barbara Pavlovicová