Bradley, Martha2024-11-142024-11-142024-12-102024-09-01*D2024http://hdl.handle.net/2263/99089Thesis (LLD ( International Law))--University of Pretoria, 2024.This thesis analyzed the existing laws relating to non-international armed conflict, namely Common Article 3 and Additional Protocol II, to address the complex nature of contemporary armed conflict which often challenges the traditional framework of assessing the existence of a non-international armed conflict. Two major challenges were considered in this thesis. The challenge affecting the first benchmark test of a non-international armed conflict relates to the assessment of the organization of armed groups in coalitions to qualify such alliance as one party to a conflict. The second test challenge addressed the impediment caused by a coalition of armed groups in assessing the intensity of a conflict. The challenges of multiple armed groups fighting collectively or independently against a common entity, be it a state or another armed group, renders the bi–lateral assessment of intensity inappropriate and makes it impossible to determine the ‘protracted armed violence’ and ‘sustained and concerted military operations’ threshold required to create a non-international armed conflict. In response to this operational assessment challenge, the question of whether the Tadic definition and its threshold criteria are fit for purpose to classify complex non-international armed conflicts was examined.en© 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.UCTDNon-international armed conflictCoalition of organised armed groupsCyber warfareCommon article 3Additional protocol llCummulative assessment of intensitySustainable Development Goals (SDGs)SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutionsLaw theses SDG-16Thesisu19375842@tuks.co.za10.25403/UPresearchdata.27214509