War on the coastline: mitigating civilian harm in the littorals

ICRC Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog · May 17, 2023 · 18m

With 80 per cent of the world’s population living within 100 kilometers of a coastline, and maritime trade accounting for around 90 per cent of world trade, a significant percentage of world economic and human activity takes place in coastal areas. It is therefore evident that civilians and civilian infrastructure are likely to be affected by war in the littorals, more so than anywhere else in the world. In this post, retired Commodore Prashant Kahlon discusses the relevance of the principles and rules governing the conduct of warfare at sea to mitigate harm to civilians, in the context of…