Conflict Reporting and Implementation of Humanitarian Law

Reporting armed conflicts from the battlefield entails a great danger to those given the task. But to what extent are these reporters protected from possible dangers? Two cases are focused on in this paper: Ethio-Eritrea war (1998-2000) and Ethiopias military intervention in Somalia (2006/7). First hand information was gathered from journalists who were actively involved in the two situations as reporters of the armed conflicts. The book establishes a solid background to the whole scenario, incorporated a rigorous review of the existing literature related to IHL (history and application), armed conflict reporting, IHL and the protection of journalists in general. It also specifically addresses the Ethiopian case. Extensive interviews were conducted with the media personnel mentioned above with reference to five guiding concepts: access to information, censorship, vulnerability to risks, knowledge and application of IHL, and role of journalists.