A DIILS team conducted an important bridge-building legal engagement in a remote training area close to the village of Bare, in the Somali region (Kilil) of Ethiopia.  The Human Rights seminar focused on the law of armed conflict (LOAC) in international and non-international armed conflict, as well as the impact of human rights law on military operations.  This DIILS engagement in August 2015 was attended by over 20 field grade and company grade officers and over 400 enlisted soldiers of the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s 32nd Armored Division.  The soldiers were very engaged and provided many real-world examples of the applicability of LOAC concepts.

A highlight of the seminar was the DIILS team’s ability to partake in practical applications, legal and operational, with the host nation.  The DIILS team, comprised US Army, Air Force, and Marine judge advocates, discussed their respective service component experiences, and exchanged ideas and best practices with the unit’s operational and legal leadership.  The attendees appreciated the ability to compare the approaches of the two nations and of each military service branch to LOAC and human rights as applied to their missions.