ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book conducted a feminist critique of the principle of distinction both broadly, as well as in the specific context of African conflicts. It demonstrated the ways in which International Humanitarian Law (IHL) prejudices women, neglecting their specific needs, concealing their experiences and painting them in particular stereotypical ways. The book argued that the narrow definitions in the principle of distinction effectively exclude women who participate in conflicts from falling within its ambit. Women in African conflicts participate differently to men – much as in other parts of the world. It endeavoured to reveal what conflict should look like in terms of the vision underlying IHL. The book demonstrates the principle is impractical, complex, often out of touch with local realities, and, in many contexts, all but impossible to apply.
