RULAC Classifies a Second Non-International Armed Conflict in Ethiopia

16 August 2022

In addition to the ongoing non-international armed conflict (NIAC) that opposes the Ethiopian armed forces to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict (RULAC) online portal just classified a parallel NIAC in the country between Ethiopia and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

‘Both the intensity of the armed violence opposing the Ethiopian armed forces and OLA’s troops – that increased over the past two years – along with the level of organization of OLA allow us to conclude today to the existence of a NIAC’ underlines Dr Chiara Redaelli, Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy.

Information about the Parties, Classification and Applicable International Law

The entry on this conflict provides detailed information about this armed group, the classification and applicable international law.

Following the designation of OLA as a terrorist organization by Ethiopia in August 2021 and its alliance with TPLF in August 2021, clashes started in October 2021 in the Oromia region between OLA and Ethiopian armed forces intensified in 2022.

About RULAC

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC) online portal systematically qualifies situations of armed violence using the definition of armed conflict under international humanitarian law. RULAC also identifies the parties to these conflicts and applicable international law. It currently monitors more than 110 armed conflicts involving at least 55 states and more than 70 armed non-State actors.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

IHL Lab Geneva Academy News

Addressing Compliance Gaps in Arms Transfers - is the Arms Trade above International Law?

28 May 2025

Organized with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva, and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, this event explored legal gaps and accountability failures in global arms transfers.

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

A destroyed camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, Project

Understanding the Relationship between Conflict, Security and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

Started in May 2023

This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.

Read more

Neutrotechology Project

Neurotechnology and Human Rights

Started in August 2023

This project addresses the human rights implications stemming from the development of neurotechnology for commercial, non-therapeutic ends, and is based on a partnership between the Geneva Academy, the Geneva University Neurocentre and the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. 

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2023

published on July 2024

Read more