Burundi
Practice Relating to Rule 53. Starvation as a Method of Warfare
Burundi’s Regulations on International Humanitarian Law (2007) states that “it is prohibited to utilize famine as a method of warfare against civilian populations”.
Burundi’s Law on Genocide, Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes (2003) states:
[The following are] considered as war crimes:
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B. Other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflicts, within the established framework of international law, namely, any of the following acts:
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x) intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions.
Burundi’s Penal Code (2009) states:
“War crimes” means crimes which are committed as part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of such crimes, in particular:
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2. … [S]erious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict, within the established framework of international law, namely, any of the following acts:
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26°. Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival.