The ICRC on 8-9 September conducted a two-day international humanitarian law (IHL) course for Indian army officers deployed on a UN Peacekeeping Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The training was conducted at the Army Camp in Khanpur, New Delhi. A total of 50 officers of various ranks of the 6th Battalion of the Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment participated in the course.

Infantry battalion groups from the Indian Army are regularly deployed on UN Missions abroad for peacekeeping duties. They undergo a pre-deployment training for four weeks at the Army Camp in New Delhi. As part of this pre-deployment training, the ICRC conducts a two-day capsule course on IHL for these battalions. The objective of the training is to acquaint officers deployed on UN Missions about the ICRC Mandate, its activities and IHL applicability during peacekeeping operations.

Since it was a mixed group, the complete dissemination of the course was done in Hindi. Apart from informing the participants about the ICRC role and mandate, the dissemination session focussed on topics like Essential rules and Fundamental Principles; Combatants’ and non-combatants’ status; Treatment of prisoners of war and civilian detainees; Application of IHL in peacekeeping operations. The officers were shown audiovisuals like ‘IHL Universal Code’ and the ‘Rules of War’. They also participated in case studies of recent occurrences of IHL violations around the world and a situational exercise on IHL.

The programme was well received by all participants. They were very keen and enthusiastic to know about the ICRC and the application of IHL in conflicts around the world. They participated in all activities conducted during the programme. The participants asked questions on the funding of the ICRC, the accountability of non-state actors, violations of IHL, etc, which were answered to their satisfaction.

The officers were also given ICRC publications Essentials of Law of War, Summary of Geneva Conventions, IHL Answers to your Questions and Discover the ICRC.

ICRC New Delhi