Since November 2018, three French officers and one
non-commissioned officer have been integrated into the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI).
Launched in October 2018, it aims to provide expertise and advice on security
sector reform on the one hand, and training and education within Iraqi military
schools and Ministry of Defence institutions on the other. In this context, NMI
mission has developed a partnership with the Baghdad Military Medical School.
The first Frenchman to have been integrated into NMI, Lieutenant Colonel Joris is Chief Legal Advisor of the mission. At the end of April, he spoke to
students at the Baghdad Military Medical School on international humanitarian
law.
As Lieutenant
Colonel Joris explains: "My presentations are modest but their purpose is
important: to raise awareness among Iraqi officials and instructors about the
challenges of current armed conflicts. These modern conflicts are harsh and
multifaceted, and the legal obligations imposed on the armed forces are many
and demanding. The idea is that they should be in a better position, as
specialists, to advise the command and be the driving force behind the reform
within the Iraqi Ministry of Defence to ensure better compliance with these
obligations. In addition, it is also about the military medical profession
operating in a more secure environment and enabling medical units to be more
effective in serving their forces and civilian populations.”
Thus, Lieutenant
Colonel Joris first focused on presenting the current threats to health
personnel, patients, medical and health structures in armed conflicts and other
emergencies. He then recalled the fundamental legal principles that seek to prohibit
violence and protect health units and services, in particular under
international humanitarian law, which is largely based on the first two Geneva
Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to "the improvement of the lot of the
wounded and sick in armed forces in the field" and "the castaways of
armed forces at sea.”
He
stressed that the primary purpose of these conventions and their additional
protocols are to protect not only wounded combatants, but also civilian
populations suffering the adverse effects of conflicts.
The military is obliged to respect these rules in all circumstances, often in
the face of adversaries who do not respect them themselves, as was often the
case in the conflict in Iraq. Through concrete examples, Lieutenant Colonel
Joris engaged his audience through questions: "What care should be provided to
enemy combatants? How can medical personnel and health facilities best be
protected? Can we stop and search ambulances? What kind of weapons can doctors
have?”
Of the thirty trainees gathered to attend the course, half were women. This was
an opportunity for Lieutenant Colonel Joris to recall that among the civilian
population, women and children are particularly vulnerable populations and
benefit from special and reinforced protections, protections that have to be
anticipated in the planning of military operations. Thus, he emphasized the
essential role of women in the military in the treatment of these categories of
the population.
At the
end of the presentation, Lieutenant Colonel Joris said, "This is a strong
experience; I take advantage of their presence to converse with them, to learn
more about their difficulties and their knowledge. For example, we talked about
the Battle of Mosul; their tactical vision was very enlightening. These
exchanges are also an opportunity for me to highlight current issues such as
the specific care to be provided to interned populations or to children who
have fought for Daesh.”
It was originally written by Captain Aurélie
for France’s Ministère des Armées. Captain Aurélie is currently deployed with Operation Chammal as part of
the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. The original story can be found here:
https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/actualites2/chammal-formation-au-droit-international-humanitaire-a-l-ecole-de-medecine-militaire-de-bagdad