Law of Armed Conflict Seminar

On 2nd of October 2008, 35 high-ranking Nampol officials attended a seminar, focused on the history of International Committee of Red Cross; protection of prisoners of war; protection of wounded and sick; protection of civilians; conduct of hostilities, with an emphasis on Law of Armed Conflict.

Two excellent presentations were made by high-level speakers Mr Robin Waudo, ICRC Communication Delegate based in Harare and Mr Andrew Carswell, ICRC Regional Delegate to the Armed & Security Forces based in Pretoria.

Apart from meeting Nampol officials, the delegates also met with the University of Namibia Law Faculty Dean Professor Nico Horn, Ministry of Justice Deputy Permanent Secretary Mr I. Ndjoze and Lieutenant General of Namibia Defence Force Martin Shali amongst its stakeholders.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and to provide them with assistance. It directs and coordinates the international relief activities conducted by the Movement in situation of conflict. It also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

It tasks include: visits to prisoners of war and civilian detainees; searching for missing persons; transmission of messages between family members separated by conflicts; reunification of dispersed families as well as provision of food, water and medical assistance to civilians without access to these basic necessities. It also protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities.

ICRC was founded nearly a century and a half ago in recognition of this sad reality. It seeks to preserve a measure of humanity in the midst of war. Its guiding principle is that even in war there are limits: limits on how warfare is conducted and limits on how combatants behave.  The set of rules that were established with this in mind and endorsed by nearly every nation in the world is known as international humanitarian law, of which the Geneva Conventions are the bedrock.
 		  
   
   
   
 

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