In the civil-military relationship, “citizen” refers to individuals who are not military personnel. The term is defined in Article 4A(1) of the Third Convention and in Article 43 of Protocol I. According to the Commentary to the Protocol, a civilian is any person who is not a member of the armed forces. In addition to this definition, civilians are not allowed to take part in armed conflict. In a conflict, the civilian is entitled to protection. Under the Geneva Conventions, the right to life and safety is guaranteed to all.
In international law, a civilian is any person who does not belong to any of the categories defined in Article 4A of the Third Convention or in Article 43 of this Protocol. In a conflict, a civilian is a person who is not a member of the armed forces and is not considered a combatant. A civilian population is comprised of all civilians regardless of whether or not they are members of a military organization. The presence of non-civilian individuals in a conflict does not deprive the population of its civil character.
There is no universally accepted definition of a civilian. In some countries, a civilian is a citizen of a country, but is not a member of a military force. However, in other countries, the status of armed opposition groups is still unclear. In Colombia, for example, the military manual defines a civilian as an individual who does not participate in hostilities. But most military manuals define civilians negatively in reference to armed forces and combatants.
The definition of a civilian is similar to the definition of a military officer. The main difference is that civilians are not members of the military, while military officers and policemen are. Both are held accountable to the same laws as civilians. This means that the military and its leaders can be both professional and civilian. Despite this, a civilian is not a member of a state-run armed force or a representative of an armed opposition group.
By definition, a civilian is a person who does not belong to an armed force. A civilian is also a person who is not a member of a belligerent group. In the third and fourth centuries, a civilian was a non-military person. A civilian is a civilian, but a non-combatant, a member of an armed group, is not a civil conflict.
By definition, a civilian is a person who is not a member of a state-run armed force. Those who are in armed opposition groups, such as insurgents, are not considered to be civilians. But if they are, then they are non-military and not in the military. But they should be civilians. The definition of a civilian is very important in the military. A soldier should be a military and not a citizen.