Do the Attacks on Peacekeepers Constitute a Violation of IHL

This paper raises the question whether UNAMSIL personnel could be awarded a civilian status during the armed conflict in Sierra Leone. According to the Special Court of Sierra Leone, while analysing what has been known as the RUF case, armed attacks on UNAMSIL personnel constitute a violation of international humanitarian law because of the civilian status of the Peacekeepers. This paper mainly analyses the accuracy of the qualification of UNAMSIL personnel as Peacekeepers rather than as peace enforcers is correct, given the UN-mandate and the military capacity of UNAMSIL.