Related Rule
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Practice Relating to Rule 131. Treatment of Displaced Persons
The UK Military Manual (1958) provides:
To the greatest practicable extent, removals of civil inhabitants must take place under satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health … and nutrition … and the transferred or evacuated protected persons must be provided with proper accommodation.
United Kingdom, The Law of War on Land being Part III of the Manual of Military Law, The War Office, HMSO, 1958, § 560.
According to the UK LOAC Manual (2004), one of the conditions for the permissibility of an evacuation of an occupied area is that “to the greatest extent practicable … proper accommodation is provided … and movement takes place under satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition.”
United Kingdom, The Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict, Ministry of Defence, 1 July 2004, § 11.55.
With regard to internal armed conflicts in which the 1977 Additional Protocol II is applicable, the manual states:
It is forbidden to displace the civilian population for reasons related to the conflict unless their security or “imperative military reasons so demand”. If they do have to be displaced, “all possible measures” must be taken to provide satisfactory conditions of shelter, hygiene, health, safety and nutrition.
United Kingdom, The Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict, Ministry of Defence, 1 July 2004, § 15.53.
In 2003, in a written reply to a question in the House of Commons on the “forced repatriation of Chechen internally displaced persons from their displacement camps in Ingushetia”, the UK Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stated:
The UK has played a prominent role in international efforts to press the Russian Government to halt the closure of internally displaced persons camps in the North Caucasus. Bilaterally, we have informed the Russian Government that the suspension of food, water and energy supplies to the camps constituted, in our view, a forced closure and reminded Russia of her obligations under the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. The UK has also initiated and helped draft a number of EU demarches, calling for the closure of the camps to be stopped. We were therefore encouraged by President Putin’s statement last month that the closures should be halted. However, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and take further action if necessary.
United Kingdom, House of Commons, Written answer by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 21 January 2003, Vol. 398, Written Answers, col. 224W.
In 2003, during a debate in the House of Commons, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stated in reply to a question on “people internally displaced as a result of the conflict in Iraq”:
We have talked to the various NGOs that may have to deal with some of the IDPs [internally displaced persons], and to the countries that may be affected as people try to move towards their borders. We have been seeking agreements with other countries about how they will respond to the refugees coming towards their borders. We have also been talking to the military, who will obviously come across IDPs very quickly. We have discussed how they will ensure that those people’s safety is guaranteed and how they will ensure that IDPs get the humanitarian aid that they need as quickly as possible.
United Kingdom, House of Commons, Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 19 March 2003, Vol. 401, Debates, col. 946.
The UK Military Manual (1958) provides: “To the greatest practicable extent, removals of civil inhabitants must take place under satisfactory conditions of … safety.”
United Kingdom, The Law of War on Land being Part III of the Manual of Military Law, The War Office, HMSO, 1958, § 560.
In 1991, the United Kingdom put forward the idea of creating safe areas for displaced persons in Iraq, especially Kurds, in the aftermath of the Gulf War. The United Kingdom assisted in the establishment of these safe areas and supplied troops in order to ensure the security of the sites.
United Kingdom, Statement by the Prime Minister: A Safe Haven for the Kurds, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Press Office, 8 April 1991, p. 714.
In 2003, in reply to a question in the House of Commons on “people internally displaced as a result of the conflict in Iraq”, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stated:
We have talked to the various NGOs that may have to deal with some of the IDPs [internally displaced persons], and to the countries that may be affected as people try to move towards their borders. We have been seeking agreements with other countries about how they will respond to the refugees coming towards their borders. We have also been talking to the military, who will obviously come across IDPs very quickly. We have discussed how they will ensure that those people’s safety is guaranteed and how they will ensure that IDPs get the humanitarian aid that they need as quickly as possible.
United Kingdom, House of Commons, Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 19 March 2003, Vol. 401, Debates, col. 946.
In 2004, in a written answer to a question concerning representations made to the Government of Sudan, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stated:
We … regularly raise the need for it to ensure the protection of all civilians – including displaced persons – in Darfur, and to adhere to the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, including on the need for all returns to be voluntary and appropriate.
United Kingdom, House of Commons, Written answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 13 December 2004, Vol. 428, Written Answers, col. 901W.
The UK Military Manual (1958) provides that in case of transfer or evacuation, “members of the same family must not be separated”.
United Kingdom, The Law of War on Land being Part III of the Manual of Military Law, The War Office, HMSO, 1958, § 560.
According to the UK LOAC Manual (2004), one of the conditions for the permissibility of an evacuation of an occupied area is that “to the greatest extent practicable … members of the same family are not separated.”
United Kingdom, The Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict, Ministry of Defence, 1 July 2004, § 11.55 11 .
In 1994, during a debate in the UN Security Council on Rwanda, the United Kingdom welcomed the efforts being made by various UN agencies and NGOs to alleviate the suffering of IDPs. It noted that the UK Government had made a “substantial commitment” to the work of these organizations.
United Kingdom, Statement before the UN Security Council, UN Doc. S/PV.3388, 8 June 1994, p. 8.
In 2003, in reply to a question in the House of Commons on “people internally displaced as a result of the conflict in Iraq”, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stated:
We have talked to the various NGOs that may have to deal with some of the IDPs [internally displaced persons], and to the countries that may be affected as people try to move towards their borders. We have been seeking agreements with other countries about how they will respond to the refugees coming towards their borders. We have also been talking to the military, who will obviously come across IDPs very quickly. We have discussed how they will ensure that those people’s safety is guaranteed and how they will ensure that IDPs get the humanitarian aid that they need as quickly as possible.
United Kingdom, House of Commons, Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 19 March 2003, Vol. 401, Debates, col. 946.
