AN APPRAISAL ON THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT SITUATIONS

In Armed conflicts, states and parties involved aim to take military advantage and put the territory under siege. However, in these situations, individuals who do not participate in such conflicts like women, children, Religious and medical Personnel most times end up as victims of these wars as they sometimes do have their lives taken away even though there are a plethora of statutes and treaties such as The Geneva Conventions, the Additional Protocols, International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights that are made to protect the lives of these individuals. In the course of this research, this work aims to explore the challenges regarding the efficacy and enforceability of these statutes that seek to protect these individuals in armed conflict situations such as the limitation of institutions like International Criminal Court (ICC), International Court of Justice (ICJ), complexity or insufficiency of these statutes and to identify strategies for limitations of protection of rights in armed conflicts situations. The research method employed in this one is a doctrinal one which means that both primary and secondary sources such as statutory and case laws on the right of protected persons, Articles in journal publications, local and foreign books in this area of research are also considered. This work also seeks to proffer recommendations such as strengthening the legal framework, improving enforcements mechanisms and promoting greater adherence to international standards in protecting the rights of civilians in armed conflicts situations.