Fighter Not Killer

• Do I know which rules bind me, and my own side, in this conflict?
• Am I able to distinguish civilian objects and civilian persons from military objectives?
• Who protects medical personnel and hospital facilities, and am I doing so?
• How am I treating the people under my control right now?
• What happens to prisoners and detainees in my hands?
• Can I reach the rules offline, on my phone, when I need them?

Fighter Not Killer is a campaign by Geneva Call that brings the rules of war into the hands of the people who carry them out. Its central idea is simple and urgent: in times of war, not everything is allowed, and armed groups are bound by the same limits as state armed forces. The rules are set out in the Geneva Conventions and wider international humanitarian law, covering how hostilities may be conducted, what may be targeted, and what treatment is owed to civilians, wounded people, prisoners, medical personnel and relief workers.

The campaign explains those rules in short, plain-language material that fighters can actually read, watch or download, including versions prepared for offline use and for the languages spoken in conflict zones. Instead of dense legal text, the content turns prohibitions into clear practical guidance: do not attack civilians or civilian objects such as schools and hospitals, do not recruit children, do not take hostages, and do not commit executions, rape, looting or other abuses. Videos and summary sheets carry the same message in a form that travels without internet access.

The approach is built around three steps. People first learn the fifteen key rules, then engage with the material through short videos and readable summaries, and finally commit publicly to complying with the limits of the law. This public commitment matters because commanders and fighters are influenced by what their own community expects of them. Campaigns that name expected behaviour, explain what is prohibited, and ask recruits, commanders and armed groups to respect human beings, humanitarian objects and medical care create pressure toward better conduct on the battlefield.

Scenarios and topics allow the rules to be applied to the realities of combat, covering attacks on populated areas, indiscriminate bombing, the use of human shields, targeting buildings, the treatment of the wounded and dead, and the obligation to collect and care for those who fall. A quiz and downloadable materials help audiences check their own understanding. The result is an impartial, educational resource that treats fighters as people capable of choosing differently, and that measures success in lives protected, rights respected and conflicts fought with fewer violations.