Acts of terrorism as war crimes in the Colombian armed conflict

Abstract

The connections between terrorism and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) are deep, long-standing, and complex, especially given the absence of a definition of ‘terrorism’ in international law. From an IHL perspective, not only are certain acts of terror committed in the context of an armed conflict considered potential war crimes, there are implications in the very qualification of those who commit such acts as possible combatants, with the IHL repercussions derived from them. On the other hand, its application to the specific armed conflict of Colombia adds another layer of complexity by contextualizing theory in an actual, concrete case which, furthermore, brings into focus the problems that arise and the solutions international legal theory offers in matters of terrorism and IHL.