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Hannah Baumeister, Humanitarian Law in Action in Africa, International Journal of Refugee Law, Volume 26, Issue 4, December 2014, Pages 719–720, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijrl/eeu055
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Extract
In Humanitarian Law in Action within Africa, Jennifer Moore explores the role and application of humanitarian law in post-conflict Uganda, Sierra Leone and Burundi. She aims to contribute to a better understanding of the complex and dynamic relationship between law, practice, peace, and justice.
In the first part of her book, Moore offers a comprehensive overview of international law and four of its sub-fields; humanitarian law (the author appears to use the terms ‘humanitarian law’ and ‘international humanitarian law’ interchangeably), human rights law, international criminal law, and international refugee law. Stressing the transformative vision of humanitarian law, the author understands humanitarian law to establish a framework for conflict resolution through the cultivation of a more healthy society. Humanitarian law is established as the first among equals because of its central commitment to protect civilians and alleviate suffering in wartime. Through working together with human rights law, international criminal law, and international refugee law, humanitarian law is able to build a more comprehensive framework for conflict resolution. In addition to survivors’ claims to protection from the most brutal forms of violence, human rights law recognises their civil, political, and socio-economic rights. Criminal law offers a basis for prosecuting those who violated norms of humanitarian law. Refugee law facilitates the protection and assistance of people displaced by war and persecution.