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.
We are very pleased to present the legal roundup for October 2024 – February 2025, containing publications on issues relating to armed groups and international law, non-international armed conflict, rebel governance, transitional justice and international criminal law. It was prepared by Yiokasti Mouratidi, and finalised with input from Katharine Fortin, Ezequiel Heffes, Andrea Farrés, Saeed Bagheri, Jelena Aparac, Anki Sjöberg, Florian Weigand and Salonee Singh.
If you have a 2024 publication which you think should be included in this roundup, please do not hesitate to contact the editors of the blog.
Please note that due to paywalls and your institution’s permissions, the given link may not always take you to the text of the article. The Armed Groups and International law blog has published legal roundups since 2012. For previous versions of the legal roundup, see here.
Non-State Armed Groups, Non-International Armed Conflicts and International Law
Balkaran, R. and Dorn, A.W. (2024), Exploring Hindu ethics of warfare: The Pur??as, International Review of the Red Cross, 106(926), pp. 542–564.
Cahueñas Muñoz, H. and Idrovo Romo, J.F. (2024), Is Ecuador facing a non-international armed conflict against organized crime groups? Reality, inconsistencies and jurisprudential developments, International Review of the Red Cross, 106(926), pp. 610–638.
Dannenbaum, T. and Dill, J. (2024), International Law in Gaza: Belligerent Intent and Provisional Measures, American Journal of International Law, 118(4), pp. 659–683.
de Mello Filho, E. C. (2024), Armed attacks against merchant vessels: ‘Looking behind the Flag’ to find the victim State, Journal of Conflict and Security Law, 29(3), pp. 281–309.
Gruši?, U. (2024), The Law Governing United Kingdom Government Tort Liability in the “War on Terror”, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 73(4), pp. 1045–1060.
Nessa, J. J., & Kleczkowska, A. (2024), Jus ad bellum series: self-defence against armed non-state actors in the MENA region. Journal on the Use of Force and International Law, 11(1–2), pp. 16–49.
Tshuma, D. (2024), African customs and traditions and the indigenization of international humanitarian law in armed conflict, International Review of the Red Cross, 106(926), pp. 639–658.
Veerakatty, Vijitha (2024), Arbitrary withholding of consent to humanitarian relief in non-international armed conflict : legal regulations and consequences, Brill.
Vité, S. and Gallino, I. (2024), Decentralized armed groups: Can they be classified as parties to non-international armed conflicts?, International Review of the Red Cross, 106(926), pp. 931–942.
Rebel governance and civilian agency
De Bruin, E., Levy, G., Schubiger, L.I., and Weintraub, M. (2025), Out-Competing Rivals: Armed Group Governance and Civilian Attitudes in Colombia, American Political Science Review: 1–14.
Edle, A., Norman, J. and Schouten, P. (2024), Isbaaro: Checkpoints and world-making beyond the state, Roadblocks & Revenue Working Paper Series, No. 7, DIIS / Centre on Armed Groups / DIIS.
Florea, A. and Malejacq, R. (2024), The Supply and Demand of Rebel Governance. International Studies Review, 26(1).
Knuppe, A. (2024), Surviving the Islamic State: Contention, Cooperation, and Neutrality in Wartime Iraq, Columbia University Press.
Myers, E. (2025), Gendered Governance: How Women in Insurgent Government Shape Rebel Rule. Civil Wars, pp. 1–34
Lauder, A. (2024), Legitimacy in conflict contexts: shifting rebel engagement in Sierra Leone and the presence of private contractors. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 36(1), pp. 87–119
Loken, M.M. (2025), Women, Gender, and Rebel Governance during Civil Wars. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Elements in Gender and Politics).
Neil, T. and Chit, S.D. (2024) Beyond the ‘Rebel’ Territorial Trap: Checkpoints in Myanmar, Roadblocks & Revenue Working Paper Series, No. 8, DIIS / Centre on Armed Groups / DIIS.
Waga, A. A. (2025), Conflicted commitments: Assessing human rights adherence of Ethiopia’s rebel groups, Social Sciences & Humanities Open, Vol 11.
Zinati, P. (2024) ‘Escaping isn’t for everyone’: Kurdish smugglers’ navigational tactics at checkpoints in Iran, Roadblocks & Revenue Working Paper Series, No. 9, DIIS / Centre on Armed Groups / DIIS.
NSAGs, IR and reparations
Herman, O. (2025), Reparations by Non-State Armed Groups under International Law?: From Conflict to Repair in Colombia and Beyond (First edition) Routledge.
ICL
Biazatti, B. (2024), To divide or not to divide: Innovations on liability for reparations in the Ntaganda case, Leiden Journal of International Law, 37(4), pp. 1039–1063.
Kirabira, T. R. (2024), International Criminal Law, Complementarity and Amnesty Within the Context of Transitional Justice: Lessons from Uganda. International Criminal Law Review, 24(5-6), pp. 759-772.
Parwez, B. (2024), The Dilemma of Justice: The International Criminal Court’s Political Maneuver, International Journal of Transitional Justice, 18(3), pp. 439–452.
Tamayo Gomez, C. (2024), Between Positive Complementarity and Magical Legalism: Colombia and International Criminal Justice, International Criminal Law Review, 24(5-6), pp. 604-624
Vegh Weis, V., & Rey, S. (2024), Argentina’s Commitment to International Criminal Justice to Address the Crimes of the Last Dictatorship (1976–1983), International Criminal Law Review, 24(5-6), pp. 575-588
Targeting, detention and administration of justice
Arslan, M. E. (2024), Targeting telecommunications: Why do rebel groups target information and communication technology infrastructure? Journal of Peace Research
Balarabe, K. (2024), Safeguarding the Vulnerable. A Comprehensive Approach to Protecting Detainees in Contemporary Non-International Armed Conflicts and Counterterrorism Operations, Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 15(2), pp. 418-451.
Gregory, T., Weaponising Civilian Protection: Counterinsurgency and Collateral Damage in Afghanistan, OUP 2025.
Ogunniyi, D. (2024), Armed Conflict-induced Displacement and Human Trafficking in the Sahel: Organised crime, vulnerabilities, and the accountability of non-state armed groups, Anti-Trafficking Review, (22), pp. 74–90.
Provost, R. and Wijenayake, V. (2024), Collateral kids: Weighing the lives of children in targeting, Leiden Journal of International Law, 37(4), pp. 1018–1038.
Provost, R. (2024), Neither war machines nor mere victims: Legality of targeting children of FARC dissidents according to IHL, Revista Derecho del Estado No. 61, enero-abril de 2025, pp. 311-343.
Sayed, A. (2024), What we talk about when we talk about “human shields”: Reading international law through images, Leiden Journal of International Law, 37(4), pp. 773–800.
Transitional justice, peacekeeping and peacebuilding
Giblin, J. (2024), The Force Intervention Brigade: A Conscious Departure, Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 15(2), pp. 209-227.
Heathcote, G., & Kula, L. (2024), The Force Intervention Brigade in the DRC Civilian Security and Women Peace and Security, Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 15(2), pp. 246-265.
Jakobsen, L. J., Colombia as the ‘Laboratory’ for Transitional Justice: Consolidation and Innovation of Global Formulas, International Journal of Transitional Justice, 18(3), November 2024, pp. 422–43 .
Longobardo, M. (2024), Introduction to the Symposium “The MONUSCO Intervention Brigade at Ten” Ten Years of the MONUSCO Intervention Brigade: International Law Concerns on the Future of Peacekeeping and the Protection of Civilians, Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 15(2), pp. 203-208.
Longobardo, M. (2024), The MONUSCO Force Intervention Brigade at 10 and the Quest for Fair UN Peacekeeping Involvement in Non-International Armed Conflicts, Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 15(2), pp. 228-245.
Sikkink, K., Clapp, H., Marín-López, D., Schmidt, A., Gender and Transitional Justice: Explaining Global Trends, International Journal of Transitional Justice, Volume 18, Issue 3, November 2024, pp. 387–404.
Távara, G. Beyond Seeing and Listening: Children Born from Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, International Journal of Transitional Justice, Volume 18, Issue 3, November 2024, pp. 500–508.
Reports
ACLED, GI-TOC, Non-state armed groups and illicit economies in West Africa: Building armed group legitimacy, December 2024.
Centre on Armed Groups, Islands in the Storm: Civilian survival deals with the warring parties in Sudan, Briefing Note, November 2024.
Centre on Armed Groups, Shadow wars: the Taliban’s campaign against the Islamic State Khorasan Province, December 2024.
Gobbers, E., International Peace Information Service, Promoting DDR programmes while arming non-state armed groups: Congo’s paradoxical conflict resolution policies in the context of the M23 insurgency, Briefing, February 2025.
Human Rights Watch, Beyond Burning: The ripple effects of incediary weapons and increasing calls for international action, November 2024.
Human Rights Watch, Sudan: War Crimes in South Kordofan: Civilians killed, towns destroyed in Rapid Support Forces Attacks, December 2024.