Car Bombs and International Humanitarian Law

Abstract

Car bombs are a form of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which are often used in armed conflicts as a highly effective and destructive weapon. The Colombian armed conflict is a case in point: Between 2001 and 2009 alone, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejercito del Pueblo, ‘FARC-EP’) carried out car bomb attacks almost each year, many of which caused major civilian losses. Here we will take a closer look at an attack whose author, a former FARC-EP combatant nicknamed ‘Mata Hari’, received an amnesty from the Amnesty and Pardon Chamber (Sala de Amnistia e Indulto, ‘Amnesty Chamber’) of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (Jurisdiccion Especial para la Paz, JEP).