Classification of conflict

The 1949 Geneva Conventions endeavor to address all instances of armed conflict, which fall into two primary categories of armed conflict that trigger the application of LOAC: (1) international armed conflict and (2) non-international armed conflict. International armed conflict is conflict between or among two or more States, and non-international armed conflict refers to conflicts between a State and one or more non-State armed groups or among such non-State groups. The definition of armed conflict for each type of conflict is not the same, creating different triggers for the application of LOAC. In addition, LOAC applies to all situations of belligerent occupation, which fall within the paradigm of international armed conflict. This chapter provides an introduction to all three situations - international armed conflict; non-international armed conflict; and occupation - and highlights specific questions and challenges that arise in identifying and characterizing these types of conflicts.