Côte d’Ivoire
Practice Relating to Rule 7. The Principle of Distinction between Civilian Objects and Military Objectives
Section B. Attacks against military objectives
Côte d’Ivoire’s Teaching Manual (2007) provides in Book I (Basic instruction):
Lesson 1 Basic notions of IHL
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The principle of distinction specifies who and what can be attacked and who and what cannot be attacked.
- Who and what can be attacked?
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- military objectives.
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Lesson 3. Rules of behaviour in combat
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[Basic Rule No. 3]:
Only fight enemy combatants, and only attack military objectives.
[Observation]:
- These two rules follow from the principle of distinction, which determines whom to attack during an armed conflict.
In Book III, Volume 1 (Instruction of first-year trainee officers), the Teaching Manual provides: “[O]ne must always distinguish between military objectives, which can be attacked, and civilian objects, which must be respected.”
In Book IV (Instruction of heads of division and company commanders), the Teaching Manual provides: “‘Legitimate objectives’ comprise combatants, unlawful combatants and military objectives.”