New War Report Article Discusses the Ongoing Armed Violence in Sinai between Egypt and Wilayat Sinai

View of Sinai View of Sinai

15 November 2019

Our new War Report article Non-International Armed Conflict To Continue in Sinai?, written by Annabel Bassil, discusses the non-international armed conflict (NIAC) between Egypt and Wilayat Sinai, an armed non-state actor that has pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group.

While Israel conducts, since mid–2015, airstrikes against Wilayat Sinai, the author indicates that the conflict remains a NIAC as the Egyptian Government consents to these strikes.

The article starts by providing background information about the conflict, its origins, parties and developments in 2019. The author then discusses whether the threshold of intensity of violence and organization of Wilayat Sinai required to classifying the situation as a NIAC are still met in 2019.

‘This article provides the keys to understand this NIAC, including the origin of the conflict and how it could evolve in the coming months’, underlines Dr Annyssa Bellal, Senior Research Fellow and Strategic Adviser on International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy.

The NIAC in Egypt in the Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Online Portal

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC) online portal provides a legal analysis of this NIAC that is taking place in Egypt, including an overview of the situation, their classification, parties to the conflict and applicable international law.

NIAC Sinai RULAC

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

IHL Lab Geneva Academy News

The Geneva IHL Lab: Bridging Theory and Practice

21 May 2025

The Geneva Academy has launched a practice-oriented course designed to equip our Master of Advanced Studies students with skills in open-source research and legal analysis under international humanitarian law.

Read more

soldiers News

New Publication Examines the Effects of Private Military and Security Companies

12 March 2025

Our latest research brief examines how Private Military and Security Companies have reshaped warfare, international law, and global stability.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

Read more

Screenshot of the RULAC webpage Project

Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)

Started in May 2007

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more