Obligations of International Humanitarian Law

It is an understatement to say that armed con icts fought in densely populated areas can and do cause tremendous human suffering. Civilians in particular have historically paid a high price in the form of death, injuries, and permanent disabilities. They have also paid indirectly through the effects of widespread damage to their homes, the impact on their livelihoods, and the destruction of the infrastructure that supplies the necessities of life. With modern con icts increasingly fought in urban areas, civilians are increasingly caught in the midst of hostilities. Such a trend will surely continue into the future.