The protection of prisoners of war in IHL

One of the objectives of IHL is to protect combatants or belligerents and their dependants in armed conflicts. Indeed, the granting of PW status to combatants or belligerents and assimilated persons is a mechanism for protecting them when they are placed hors de combat in the IAC, and also for applying minimum humanitarian rules to belligerents or their assimilated persons placed hors de combat in the NAC. These are guarantees that are recognized by GC III of 1949 and the P.A. of 1977, to which the DRC is a party. Finally, this study has shown how ineffective these protection mechanisms are in practice and this has been proven during the hostilities in the DRC. Hence the proposals made in the conclusion are crucial in order to overcome the shortcomings.