Syrian conflict now a civil war: Red Cross

July 16, 2012 09:03

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Sunday it now considers the conflict in Syria to be a full-blown civil war, meaning international humanitarian law applies throughout the country.

Also known as the rules of war, international humanitarian law grants parties to a conflict the right to use appropriate force to achieve their aims, and the Geneva-based group's assessment is an important reference for those parties to determine how much and what type of force they can use.

The assessment also can form the basis for war crimes prosecutions, especially if civilians are attacked or detained enemies are abused or killed. "We are now talking about a non-international armed conflict in the country," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said.

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