International armed conflict covers all cases of declared war and other de facto armed conflict between two or more States, even if the state of war is not recognised by one of them and/or the use of armed force is unilateral (ICRC, 2016).
Non-international armed conflict is defined as protracted armed confrontations occurring between governmental armed forces and the forces of one or more armed groups, or between such groups arising on the territory of a State. The armed confrontation must reach a minimum level of intensity, and the parties involved in the conflict must show a minimum of organisation (ICRC, 2008).
‘Civil unrest’ is an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of phenomena, and although there is no commonly agreed United Nations definition the term is used widely among United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, particularly to describe violent and non-violent group acts.
