In this post, Martha Bradley and Marko Svičevič explore how President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement that South Africa’s military presence in the DRC is “not a declaration of war” raises critical questions under international humanitarian law. They further examine the legal implications of classifying an armed conflict as either an international or non-international armed conflict and the legal implications this holds for the parties involved.

The unchanging centrality of the state rests on defense and security. These matters should escape the weaknesses of constitutional elasticity. One of the essential functions of the Constitution is to produce stability and durability in the legal framework within which political actors operate.

La centralité immuable de l’État repose sur la défense et la sécurité. Ces questions devraient échapper aux faiblesses de la plasticité constitutionnelle. L’une des fonctions essentielles de la Constitution est de produire la stabilité et la durabilité du cadre juridique dans lequel les acteurs politiques évoluent.