Description
In the aftermath of the catastrophic condition of the 1990s, the nature of the conflict changed from inter-state to intra-state. The genocide in Rwanda war in Kosovo, Burundi, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and many other countries have proved that civilians are the major sufferers in the intra-state conflict as they become the major target of attack. The civilians not only accounted for the vast majority of casualties but were also forcibly uprooted from their places of residence, causing large-scale internal displaced people and large-scale refugees in the neighbouring countries.
It would be significant to see whether the State, responsible for protecting the rights of the citizens themselves, becomes the violator of human rights, specifically in civil conflicts. This paper is an effort to look into these issues while protecting civilians in civil conflict and the role of the United Nations. Firstly the paper looks into the civil conflicts in different parts of the world and the condition of the civilians. Secondly, it looks into the policies, guiding principles, norms and mechanisms established by the United Nations to protect civilians. Thirdly, the paper examines the challenges, successes and failures faced by the organization in protecting civilians. Fourthly the paper deals with the assessment and lessons learnt so far.
