Civilian Casualties (CIVCAS)
209 Articles

AFRICOM’s Improved Civilian Casualty Reporting System Still Leaves Gaps for Somalia
Only with more ways to submit reports and the proper followup can the U.S. military start to rebuild trust among communities harmed by its actions.

DOD’s New Ex Gratia Policy: What’s Right, What’s Wrong, and What’s Next
On June 22, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued an interim policy regulation for providing ex gratia payments to civilians harmed as a result of U.S. military operations. It…

Toward a Consistent and Coherent Ex Gratia Policy for Civilian Casualties
The summer of 2017 was an extended nightmare for the Badrans. Over the course of several weeks, 39 members of Rasha Badran’s family, most of them women and children, were killed…

Time to Move Beyond the Rhetoric of Protecting Civilians in Conflict
In his annual protection report to the United Nations Security Council, released this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a clear call to parties to conflict…

Oxford Statement on the International Law Protections Against Cyber Operations Targeting the Health Care Sector
In advance of Friday, May 22 Arria-Formula meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

U.S. Fails to Acknowledge Killing Yemeni Civilians
A Yemen-based human rights organization has documented the impact of U.S. air strikes for the last seven years. The results contradict DOD's report.

The Fatal Flaw in DOD’s Latest Civilian Casualties Report
Lawmakers and even the Trump administration have increasingly expressed concern about the United States waging an “endless war,” and among those concerns is the impact on civilians…

Here’s What the New DoD Policy on Civilian Harm Should Include
It should standardize good practice and set the bar where it belongs: safeguarding civilian life from the effects of U.S. military operations.

Grading DOD’s Annual Civilian Casualties Report: “Incomplete”
The new information demonstrates how much progress the department has made and yet how much of a paradigm shift is still needed for full accountability.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (April 25-May 1)
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…

Great Expectations: AFRICOM’s New Quarterly Report on Civilian Casualties
A look at circumstances under which civilian casualties may occur in Somalia, why the US military may be under-reporting the numbers, and what to do about it.

What Counts As Sufficient Transparency on Civilian Casualties in Somalia
Former National Security Council and Defense Department official writes about upcoming civilian casualties report from AFRICOM, and what will still be missing.