List of non-international armed conflicts explained

The following is a list of non-international armed conflicts, fought between territorial and/or intervening state forces and non-state armed groups or between non-state armed groups within the same state or country.^[1] The terms "intrastate conflict", "internecine conflict", "internal conflict" and "civil war" are often used interchangeably with "non-international armed conflict", but "internecine war" can be used in a wider meaning, referring to any conflict within a single state, regardless of the participation of civil state or non-state forces. Thus, any war of succession is by definition an internecine war, but not necessarily a non-international armed conflict.

Terminology

The Latin term bellum civile, meaning in English, civil war, was used to describe wars within a single community beginning around 60 A.D. The term is an alternative title for the work sometimes called Pharsalia by Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus) about the Roman civil wars that began in the last third of the second century BC.^[2] The term civilis here had the very specific meaning of 'Roman citizen'. Since the 17th century, the term has also been applied retroactively to other historical conflicts where at least one side claims to represent the country's civil society (rather than a feudal dynasty or an imperial power).^[3]

Since 1949, the term "non-international armed conflict" has been widely used to refer to armed conflict between territorial and/or intervening state forces and non-state armed groups or between non-state armed groups within the same state or country, instead of civil war.^[1] The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s Arms Unit, Kathleen Lawand, stated "The ICRC generally avoids using the term 'civil war' when communicating with the parties to an armed conflict or publicly, and speaks instead of 'non-international' or 'internal' armed conflicts, as these expressions mirror the terms used in common Article 3 [of the 1949 [[Geneva Conventions]]]."^[4]

Ongoing non-international armed conflicts

See also: List of ongoing armed conflicts. The following non-international armed conflicts are ongoing as of April 2023. Only ongoing conflicts which meet the definition of a non-international armed conflict are listed. See List of ongoing armed conflicts and lists of active separatist movements for lists with a wider scope.

• , Jamaican political conflict, since 1943
• , Internal conflict in Myanmar, since 1948 (including the Myanmar Civil War since 2021)

• , Insurgency in North-East India, since 1954
  • Naxalite-Maoist Insurgency, since 1967
• , Papua conflict, since 1962
• , Katanga insurgency, since 1963
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency, since 1996
  • Ituri conflict, since 1999
  • Kivu conflict, since 2004
• , Colombian conflict, since 1964
• , New People's Army rebellion, since 1969
• , Western Sahara conflict, since 1970
• Angola, Cabinda War, since 1975
• , Insurgency in Laos, since 1975
• , Somali Civil War, since 1991

• , Afghan conflict, since 1978
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict, since 2015
  • Republican insurgency in Afghanistan, since 2021
• , Peruvian conflict, since 1980
• , Casamance conflict, 1982–2014 (main conflict), since 2015 (low-level conflict)
• , herder-farmer conflicts in Nigeria, since 1998
  • Boko Haram insurgency, since 2009
  • Nigerian bandit conflict, since 2011
• , Insurgency in the Maghreb, since 2002
• , Iraqi conflict, since 2003

• • Islamic State insurgency in Iraq, since 2017
• , South Thailand Insurgency, since 2004
• , War in North-West Pakistan, since 2004

• , Insurgency in Paraguay, since 2005

• , Mexican Drug War, since 2006
• , Sudanese nomadic conflicts, since 2008; Sudanese civil war, since 2023

• , Syrian civil war, since 2011

• , Islamist insurgency in the Sahel, since 2011
  • , Mali War, since 2012

• • , Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso, since 2015
  • , Jihadist insurgency in Niger, since 2016
• , Central African Republic Civil War, since 2012

• , Yemeni civil war, since 2014

• , Anglophone Crisis (Cameroonian Civil War), since 2017
• , Insurgency in Cabo Delgado, since 2017
• , Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus, since 2017
• , Ethiopian civil conflict, since 2018
  • OLA insurgency, since 2018
  • War in Amhara, since 2023
• Haiti, Gang war in Haiti, since 2020
• Bangladesh, Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict, since 2022
• , 2024 Ecuadorian conflict, since 2024

Past non-international armed conflicts

Ancient and early medieval (before 1000)

This is a list of intrastate armed conflicts. Note that some conflicts lack both an article or citation. Without citation, they have not been guaranteed to have happened.

• The First Intermediate Period of Egypt, Second Intermediate Period of Egypt and Third Intermediate Period of Egypt were periods of political disunity in Ancient Egypt's history, characterized by frequent warfare between dynasties competing for dominance
• The Persian Revolt was a campaign led by Cyrus the Great against Median rule of Persia (552–550 BC)
• Civil war between Artaxerxes II and Cyrus III (c. 401 BC)
• Roman civil wars (a list of numerous civil wars in the late Roman Republic and in the Roman Empire, between 100 BC and AD 400)
• Hasmonean civil war (67–63 BC)
• Sasanian civil war of 589–591
• Sasanian civil war of 628–632
• First Fitna, 656–661, the first Islamic "civil war" between Ali and the Umayyads
• Second Fitna, c. 680/683 – c. 685/692, the second Islamic "civil war" between the Umayyads and Ibn al-Zubayr
• Twenty Years' Anarchy, 695–717, prolonged period of internal instability in the Byzantine Empire
• Civil War between Artabasdos and Constantine V, 741–743
• Third Fitna, 744–752, including the Umayyad civil wars of 744–748 and the Abbasid Revolution
• An Lushan Rebellion, December 16, 755 – February 17, 763
• Fourth Fitna, 809–827, including the Abbasid civil wars and other regional conflicts
• Anarchy of the 12 Warlords, 944–968

Medieval (1000–1600)

• Fitna of al-Andalus, 1009–1031
• Civil war era in Norway, 1130–1240
• Danish Civil Wars, 1131–1157^[5]
• The Anarchy, 1135–1153
• Civil war in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem between King Baldwin III and dowager Queen Melisende (1152–1153)
• Pandyan Civil War, 1169–1177
• Revolt of 1173–1174
• First Barons' War, 1215–1217
• Age of the Sturlungs, 1220 – 1262/64
• Second Barons' War, 1264–1267
• Hungarian Civil War, 1264–1265
• Civil War of Livonia between Livonian Order and the city of Riga and the Archbishopric of Riga, 1297–1330.
• Despenser War, 1321–1322
• Invasion of England, 1326. Continuation of the Despenser War.
• Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328
• Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
• Byzantine civil war of 1352–1357
• Castilian Civil War, 1366–1369
• Byzantine civil war of 1373–1379
• Jingnan campaign, 1399-1402
• Welsh Revolt, 1400–1415
• Ottoman Interregnum, 1402–1413
• Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War, 1407–1435
• Kashmir Civil War, 1419–1420
• Hussite Wars, 1419–1434
• Great Feudal War in Russia, 1425–1453
• Wars of the Roses, 1455–1485
• Catalan Civil War (1462–1472)
• Ōnin War, 1467–1477
• Sengoku period, 1467–1615
• War of the Castilian Succession, 1475–1479
• Popular revolts in late-medieval Europe
• German Peasants' War, 1524–1525
• Civil War in Kazakh Khanate, 1522–1538
• Inca Civil War, 1529–1532
• Civil War Era in Vietnam, 1533–1789^[6]
  • Lê–Mạc Dynasties War, 1533–1677
• Count's Feud, 1534–1536
• French Wars of Religion, 1562–1598
• Marian civil war, 1568–1573
• War against Sigismund, 1598–1599

Early modern (1600–1800)

• • Trịnh–Nguyễn Lords War, 1627–1772; 1774–1775
  • Tây Sơn wars, 1771–1802
• Zebrzydowski rebellion, 1606–1609
• Shimabara Rebellion, 1637–1638
• Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639–1651 involved a number of civil wars:
  • Irish Confederate Wars, some parts of which were a civil war.^[7]
  • Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, to some extent a civil war, 1644–1652
  • English Civil War, 1642–1651
    • First English Civil War, 1642–1646
    • Second English Civil War, 1648–1649
    • Third English Civil War, 1650–1651
• Acadian Civil War, 1640–1645
• The Fronde, 1648–1653
• The Ruin, 1659–1686
• Brunei Civil War, 1660s—1673
• Lubomirski's rebellion, 1665–1666
• Monmouth Rebellion, May–July 1685
• Glorious Revolution, 1688–1689
• War of the Spanish Succession, 1701–1714
• Choctaw Civil War, 1747–1750
• Pugachev's Rebellion, 1773–1775^[8]
• American Revolutionary War 1775–83 - The American Revolution started as a civil war within the British Empire. It became a larger international war in 1778 once France joined.
• War in the Vendée, 1793–1804; between Royalist and Republican forces, part of the French Revolutionary Wars

Modern (1800–1945)

• Padri War, 1803–1837
• Musket Wars, 1806–1845
• Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition, 1812–1813
• Argentine Civil Wars, 1814–1880
• Ndwandwe–Zulu War, 1817–1819
• Long Expedition, 1819, 1821
• Greek Civil Wars, 1823–1825
• Ochomogo War, 1823
• Fredonian Rebellion, 1826–1827
• Liberal Wars, in Portugal, 1828–1834
• Chilean Civil War, 1829–1830
• Revolutions of 1830

numerous European countries, 1830

• Egyptian–Ottoman War (1831–1833)
• Carlist Wars, 1833–1839, 1846–1849, and 1872–1876
• Texas Revolution 1835–1836
• Ragamuffin War, 1835–1845
• League War, 1835
• Chimayó Rebellion, 1837
• Córdova Rebellion, 1838
• Uruguayan Civil War, 1839–1851
• War of the Supremes, 1839–1842
• Rio Grande Rebellion, 1840
• Yucatán Rebellion, 1841–1848
• The New Zealand Wars, 1845 - 1872
• Bear Flag Revolt, 1846
• Patuleia War, Portugal, 1846–1847
• Sonderbund War, November 1847
• Revolutions of 1848

numerous European countries, 1848–1849

• Revolution of 1851
• Taiping Rebellion, 1851–1863
• Bleeding Kansas, 1854–1858
• Indian Rebellion of 1857
• Utah War, 1857–1858
• Bendahara War, 1857–1863
• War of Reform, 1857–1861
• Banjarmasin War, 1859–1863
• Federal War, 1859–1863
• Larut Wars, 1861–1874
• American Civil War, 1861–1865
• Afghan Civil War, 1863–1869
• Austro-Prussian War, 1866
• Klang War

also known as Selangor Civil War, 1867–1874

• Boshin War, 1868–1869
• Satsuma Rebellion, 1877
• Jementah Civil War, 1878
• Afghan Civil War, 1880–1881
• The North-West Rebellion, 1885
• Revolution of the Park, 1890
• Chilean Civil War, 1891
• Argentine Revolution of 1893, 1893
• War of Canudos, 1896–1897
• Banana Wars, 1898–1934
• Federal Revolution, 1898
• Philippine–American War, 1899–1902
• Moro Rebellion, 1899–1913
• Thousand Days' War, 1899–1902
• Liberating Revolution (Venezuela), 1901–1903
• Argentine Revolution of 1905, 1905
• Persian Constitutional Revolution, 1905–1911, Civil War considered to begin after 1908
• Mexican Revolution, 1910–1920
• Paraguayan Civil War, 1911–1912
• Warlord Era

period of civil wars between regional, provincial, and private armies in China, 1912–1928

• First Caco War, 1915
• Second Caco War, 1918–1920
• Russian Civil War, 1917–1923
• Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, 1918–2003
• Finnish Civil War, 1918
• Ukrainian–Soviet War, 1917–1921
• German Revolution, 1918–1919
• Revolts during the Turkish War of Independence, includes conflict between the Imperial Ottoman Government and the Turkish National Movement, 1919–1922
• Irish Civil War, 1922–1923
• Paraguayan Civil War, 1922–1923
• Nicaraguan Civil War, 1926–1927
• Cristero War, 1926–1929
• Chinese Civil War, 1927–1937, 1945–1949 (de facto)
• Afghan Civil War, 1928–1929
• Brazilian Civil War, 1932
• Austrian Civil War, February 1934
• Arab revolt in Palestine, 1936–1939
• Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939
• Ukrainian Insurgent Army insurgency, 1943–1956
• Italian Civil War during WWII 1943–1945
• Guerrilla war in the Baltic states, 1944–1956
• Partition of India 1947
• Indonesian National Revolution, 1945–1949

Since 1945

• Greek Civil War, 1946–1949 in
• Paraguayan Civil War, 1947 in
• Malagasy Uprising, 1947–1949 in
• Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, to 1947–1948 in
• Costa Rican civil war, 1948 in
• Yeosu–Suncheon rebellion, 1948 in
• Jeju uprising, 1948
• La Violencia, 1948–1958 in
• Malayan Emergency, 1948–1960 in
• Communist insurgency in Burma, 1948–1989 in
• Internal conflict in Myanmar, ongoing since 1948 in
• Korean War, 1950–1953
• Cuban Revolution, 1953–1959 in
• Laotian Civil War, 1953–1975 in
• Algerian War, 1954–1962 in
• First Sudanese Civil War, 1955–1972 in
• Revolución Libertadora, 1955 in
• Laotian Civil War, 1959–1975 in
• Basque conflict, 1959 - 2011 in &
• Congo Crisis, 1960–1966
• Guatemalan Civil War, 1960–1996 in
• Portuguese Colonial War, 1961–1974 in /Portuguese colonies
• Nicaraguan Revolution, 1961–1990 in
• North Yemen Civil War 1962–1970 in
• Communist insurgency in Sarawak, 1962–1990 in
• Dominican Civil War, 1965 in
• Rhodesian Bush War, 1965–1980
• First Chadian Civil War, 1965-1979 in
• Communist insurgency in Thailand, 1965–1983 in
• Cambodian Civil War, 1967–1975 in
• Nigerian Civil War, 1967–1970 in
• Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989), 1968–1989 in
• Moro conflict, 1968-2019, in
• Dirty War, 1969-1979 in
• Black September, 1970 to 1971 in
• Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 in
• 1972-1975 Bangladesh insurgency, 1972-1975 in
• Armed resistance in Chile (1973–1990), 1973-1990 in
• Ethiopian Civil War, 1974–1991 in
• East Timorese civil war, 1975 in
• Lebanese Civil War, 1975–1990 in
• Mozambican Civil War, 1975–1992 in
• Angolan Civil War, 1975–2002 in
• Insurgency in Aceh, 1976–2005 in
• Saur Revolution, April 27–28, 1978, which marked the beginning of the Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
• Salvadoran Civil War, 1979–1992 in
• Discontent fomented amongst the people of Afghanistan after the 1978 Saur Revolution, and the first anti-government revolts began in October 1978 until December 24, 1979, part of / also called Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
• Second Sudanese Civil War, 1983–2005 in
• Sri Lankan Civil War, 1983–2009 in
• South Yemen Civil War, 1986 in
• 1987-1989 JVP insurrection in
• Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), February 15, 1989 – April 30, 1992. The continuing part of the civil war that started in the 1978 Saur Revolution after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, leaving the Afghan communist government to fend for itself against the Mujahideen months later part of / also called Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
• First Liberian Civil War, 1989–1996 in
• Rwandan Civil War, 1990–1994 in
• Georgian Civil War, 1991–1993 in
• Iraqi uprisings, 1991 in
• Sierra Leone Civil War, 1991–2002 in
• Djiboutian Civil War, 1991-1994 in
• Algerian Civil War, 1991–2002 in
• Tajikistani Civil War, 1992–1997 in
• Afghan Civil War (1992–1996), April 30, 1992 – September 27, 1996. When the Afghan communist government falls to the Mujahideen there was a rise in different kinds of ideology, power-sharing, Belligerents and violent fighting continue to escalate part of / also called Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
• Burundian Civil War, 1993–2005 in
• First Republic of the Congo Civil War, 1993-1994 in
• First Yemeni Civil War, 1994 in
• Iraqi Kurdish Civil War, 1994–1997 in
• First Chechen War, 1994–1996 in
• Chiapas conflict, 1994 to 2020 in
• Nepalese Civil War, 1996–2006 in
• Afghan Civil War (1996–2001), September 27, 1996 – October 7, 2001. In 1996 the Taliban captured the Afghan capital Kabul and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan part of / also called Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
• First Congo War, 1996–1997 in
• Clashes in Cambodia, 1997 in
• Albanian civil unrest, 1997 in
• Second Republic of the Congo Civil War, 1997–1999 in
• Guinea-Bissau Civil War, 1998–1999 in
• Second Congo War, 1998–2003
• Kosovo War, 1998–1999 in
• Second Liberian Civil War, 1999–2003 in
• Insurgency in Macedonia, 2001 in
• War in Afghanistan, June 19, 2002 – August 20, 2021. War between the U.S.-led NATO and Afghanistan ended when Hamid Karzai was elected by an Afghan loya jirga to the presidency of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan on June 19, 2002. Since June 19, 2002, the conflict became non-international after U.S.-led NATO and Afghan forces fought the Taliban insurgency part of / also called Afghanistan conflict (1978–present) in ^{[9] [1]}
• First Ivorian Civil War, 2002–2007 in
• War in Darfur, 2003-2020 in
• Iraq War, June 28, 2004–December 15, 2011 in . War between the U.S.-led Coalition and Iraq ended on June 28, 2004 when the Coalition Provisional Authority handed over Iraqi sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government. Since June 28, 2004, the conflict turned non-international with U.S.-led Multi-National Force in Iraq and Iraqi forces fighting against the Iraqi insurgency.^[10]
• First Central African Republic Civil War, 2004-2007 in
• Second Chadian Civil War, 2005-2010 in
• Fatah–Hamas conflict, 2006-present (main phase until 2007) in
• First Iraqi Civil War, 2006–2008 in
• First Libyan Civil War, 2011 in
• Second Ivorian Civil War, 2011 in
• South Sudanese Civil War, 2013-2020 in
• Second Iraqi Civil War, 2013-2017, also known as War in
• War in Donbas, 2014-2022 in
• Second Libyan Civil War, 2014–2020 in
• Tigray War, 2020–2022 in

See also

• List of ongoing armed conflicts
• List of wars by death toll
• List of coups and coup attempts
• List of revolutions and rebellions
• List of wars of independence
• List of Roman civil wars and revolts
• List of English civil wars
• Exclusive mandate
• Frozen conflict

Further reading

• Arnold, Guy. Historical dictionary of civil wars in Africa (1999) online
• Collier, Paul, and Nicholas Sambanis, eds. Understanding Civil War: Europe, Central Asia, and other regions (World Bank Publications, 2005) online.
• Davis, Morris, ed. Civil wars and the politics of international relief: Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean (1975) online
• Dixon, Jeffrey S., and Meredith Reid Sarkees. A Guide to Intra-state Wars: An Examination of Civil, Regional, and Intercommunal Wars, 1816–2014 (CQ Press, 2015). online
• Fearon, James. "Why Do Some Civil Wars Last So Much Longer than Others?" Journal of Peace Research (2004) 41, 3:275–302.
• Kalyvas, Stathis N. The Logic of Violence in Civil War (Cambridge University Press, 2006).
• Kohn, George Childs. Dictionary of Wars (3rd ed. Facts on File, 2007) online
• Krause, Volker, and Susumu Suzuki. "Causes of Civil War in Asia and Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Comparison." Social Science Quarterly 86.1 (2005): 160–177. online
• Mason, T. David, and Patrick J. Fett. "How civil wars end: A rational choice approach." Journal of conflict resolution 40.4 (1996): 546–568.
• Miller, John. A brief history of the English Civil Wars (2009) online
• Montalvo, J. G., & Reynal-Querol, M. "Ethnic polarization, potential conflict, and civil wars" American Economic Review (2005) 95(3), 796–816.
• Phillips, Charles, and Alan Axelrod, eds. Encyclopedia of Wars (3 vol, Facts on File, 2004), includes many civil wars.
• Sambanis, Nicholas. "Do Ethnic and Nonethnic Civil Wars Have the Same Causes? A Theoretical and Empirical Inquiry" Journal of Conflict Resolution (2001). 45(3), 259–282.
• Sambanis, Nicholas. "What is Civil War? Conceptual and Empirical Complexities of an Operational Definition" Journal of Conflict Resolution (2004). 48(6), 814–858.
• Stapleton, Timothy J., ed. Modern African Conflicts: An Encyclopedia of Civil Wars, Revolutions, and Terrorism (ABC-CLIO, 2022).
• Sundar, Aparna, and Nandini Sundar, eds. Civil wars in South Asia: State, sovereignty, development (SAGE Publications India, 2014) online.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Categorization of an armed conflict. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
2. Web site: Lucan Roman author. 2020-07-02. Encyclopedia Britannica. en.
3. [OED]
4. Web site: Internal conflicts or other situations of violence – what is the difference for victims?. December 10, 2012. International Committee of the Red Cross.
5. Web site: Bøgh. Anders. The Civil War periode 1131–1157. danmarkshistorien.dk/. Aarhus Universitet. 21 November 2016. da. 26 May 2015.
6. Book: Early Modern Wars 1500–1775. Amber. 2013. 9781782741213.
7. [iarchive:historyrebellio00warngoog|<!-- quote="civil war" -commonwealth. --> F. Warner, 1768]
8. Book: Milner-Gulland. R. R.. Dejevsky. Nikolai J.. Atlas of Russia and the Soviet Union. Phaidon atlases of world civilizations. Phaidon. 1989. 108. 9780714825496. 2014-02-11. 1774 [...] the civil war against Pugachov reached its climax..
9. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/afghanistan0304/4.htm Afghanistan report by Human Rights Watch, March 2004
10. Web site: International Humanitarian Law in the Iraq Conflict. Knut Dörmann, Laurent Colassis. 20. International Committee of the Red Cross.