At a conference organised on Monday 2 February by Oxfam and Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, several experts from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law presented the findings of their second annual report on war crimes around the world. Entitled War Watch and published the same day, it analyses 23 armed conflicts between July 2024 and the end of 2025.
The report paints a damning picture of “rampant impunity” for violations of international law. Experts estimate that well over 100,000 civilians have been killed in each of the last two years, deploring the “epidemic” use of sexual violence as a means of territorial control. They also highlight the rapid spread of drone warfare and, for the first time, describe gang violence in Haiti as an “armed conflict”.
Faced with this situation, the study urges States to stop arms transfers to conflict zones and to systematically support international legal proceedings. “Whether international humanitarian law continues to function as a real constraint on warfare, or fades into symbolism, depends entirely on political will and the choices states make now”, warned Stuart Casey-Maslen, lead author of the report.
Hadja Lahbib described these conclusions as a “call to action” for the EU. At a time when the Commission is preparing a new humanitarian policy, she believes that technical expertise is “indispensable to strengthening humanitarian diplomacy and preventing further civilian harm”.
The full report: https://aeur.eu/f/kjr (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)