The contemporary legal nature of UN Security Council ceasefire resolutions

This article sets out to examine the legal nature of ceasefire resolutions issued by the United Nations Security Council. While it has become common practice for the Council to issue calls or demands for ceasefires, their legal nature - and in particular whether they are legally binding - remains unclear. Furthermore, given the ubiquity of non-international armed conflict, there is an additional challenge with regard to the legal effect of such resolutions upon non-state armed groups. The article provides an analysis of these issues and concludes with a potential way forward. Copyright © Foundation of the Leiden Journal of International Law 2013.