The European Forum on Armed Drones is a civil society network of organisations working to promote human rights, respect for the rule of law, disarmament and conflict prevention.

News

Public debate in France on drone operations in the Sahel is vital

With the end of Operation Barkhane, French drone strikes in the Sahel are likely to intensify. An open debate in France on the legal, political and security implications of armed drone use is desperately needed.

October 25, 2021
Event Summary – In Pursuit of Human Rights and Accountability: Challenges Around Regulating the Use of Force with Armed Drones

Almost two decades after their first deployment outside situations of armed conflict, the use of drones has now become routine for many nations and non-state actors alike. In a side-event to the 48th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, organized on 24 September 2021 by Reprieve and PAX, state representatives, families of victims, human rights lawyers and UN experts discussed ongoing human rights and accountability challenges surrounding armed drone use.

October 12, 2021
Panel discussion – In Pursuit of Human Rights and Accountability: Challenges Around Regulating the Use of Force with Armed Drones

Twenty years after their first deployment outside situations of armed conflict, the use of drones have now become routine for many nations and non-state actors alike. Whilst it is necessary for states to cooperate to address violence carried out by non-state armed groups, it is imperative those efforts comply with and uphold human rights and international law and the unintended consequences of proliferation are taken into account.

September 15, 2021

Resources

Report: Overkill: Reforming the Legal Basis for the U.S. War on Terror

After the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. Congress passed a use of force authorisation that successive presidents have used to expand military action ever further. As part of their series The Legacy of 9/11 and the “War on Terror”, the International crisis Group argues that Washington should enact a new statute that promotes transparency and narrows the war’s scope.

Report: Armed drone use by EU states: political, legal and ethical issues

Several European countries are in the process of equipping their armies with armed MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones. These new weapons are not without controversy. They are redefining military practices and the contours of war as we know it. This analysisexamines the position that the European Union has adopted with regard to these controversial weapons, which belong to its Member States, and the measures taken (or not taken) as a result at the European level. It first notes that the EU has supported the use and acquisition of armed drones and more. This support does not appear to be the result of an institutionalised decision upstream, but rather of a de facto acceptance of a fait accompli established by the Member States. It then examines the legal and ethical considerations that result from this effective support, and which seem to have been left out of a hypothetical debate.

Author: Solène Jomier

Date: 19 May 2021

Report: Remote Horizons: Expanding use and proliferation of military drones in Africa

The use of military drones is rapidly increasing across Africa, according to a new report by peace organization PAX. Drones are used in armed conflicts or counterterrorism operations across the continent, while there are few policies, rules and procedures that are observed when deploying drones. The report, “Remote Horizons: Expanding use and proliferation of military drones in Africa”, shows that in the last 14 years, African and foreign states have been involved in drone operations in at least 20 states in North Africa, the Sahel and Horn of Africa.

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We call upon all European governments, individually and through European institutions to:

We call upon all European governments, individually and through European institutions to:

1     Articulate Clear Policies
2    Prevent Complicity
3    Ensure Transparency
4    Establish Accountability
5    Control Proliferation