Given the high incidence of internal armed conflicts on the international arena today, and the evolving nature and character of such conflicts which make qualification and determining the applicable law difficult, issues related to scope of applicable International Humanitarian Law and problems arising in full implementation of the principle of distinction are of critical relevance. As the status of combatants is not recognized for armed groups acting as cobelligerents in internal armed conflicts, issues related to direct participation in hostilities need to be properly rethought in order to ensure the immunity of civilians from attack.