War Crimes

War crimes are among the gravest violations of international law, committed in armed conflicts across the world. They include the deliberate targeting of civilians, torture, mass executions, sexual violence, the use of banned weapons, and attacks on humanitarian or medical infrastructure. From Ukraine to Gaza, Myanmar to Sudan, civilians continue to pay the highest price in today’s wars. The Explosive Weapons Monitor has reported tens of thousands of civilian casualties from explosive weapons, with a significant rise in recent years. Over 60 percent of these casualties in 2024 occurred in Gaza. Ukraine, Myanmar, and Burkina Faso are also among the worst-affected regions. Attacks on hospitals, schools, refugee convoys, and marketplaces, many captured on video, often amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law.

Mass atrocities continue to unfold in Africa. In Burkina Faso, government forces have been accused of committing mass killings of civilians, including children. Sudan’s ongoing civil war has resulted in countless war crimes committed by both state forces and paramilitary forces, including sexual violence, massacres of civilians, torture, and summary executions. In Myanmar, the military has bombed houses of worship, schools, and hospitals, killing thousands in indiscriminate airstrikes. In the occupied Palestinian territories, repeated bombardments and blockades have caused thousands of civilian deaths and the destruction of hospitals, UN shelters, and entire neighborhoods. One particularly deadly incident on February 29, 2024, where Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for food aid, is now referred to as the “Flour Massacre,” and drew global condemnation.

Drone warfare has also escalated. In Kherson, Ukraine, Russia has used commercial drones to deliberately attack civilians, with videos recorded by Russian forces acknowledging that they are purposely targeting civilians. These attacks have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and prompted calls for investigations by the International Criminal Court. Despite clear documentation, impunity remains widespread. The International Criminal Court and UN bodies have opened multiple investigations, but justice is slow and accountability rare.

Currently, over 110 armed conflicts are active around the world, and nearly 120 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced, an overwhelming number of them civilians fleeing war crimes.