Dr Gus Waschefort
Dr Gus Waschefort
Gus Waschefort is an Associate Professor at Essex Law School and a dual qualified English and South African barrister, specialising in public international law. He is widely regarded as a leading expert in a range of sub-fields of international law, including, the protection of children during armed conflict and regulation of armed conflict in Africa.
Gus has provided legal advice and training to the United Nations, as well as branches of the armed forces, government departments, national human rights mechanisms, and civil society in countries as diverse as Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His scholarship is routinely published by leading publishing houses, including, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Key themes in his practice and published work includes, an African regional understanding of public international law and its development, the nexus between peace and security and environmental protection in the African context, the regulation of Armed Conflict in Africa, the protection of children during armed conflict, and the enforcement mechanisms of the African human rights system. Indeed, Gus has significant expertise in relation to both the UN human rights system, as well as the regional African human rights system.
Gus aims for synergy between his work as practitioner and academic. For example, his recent article published in the European Journal of International Law on the right to life during armed conflict is the informed by his advisory work (2010-2013) to the former UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. This included advising on significant events, such as the killing of Osama bin Laden, as well as leading an investigation into large-scale extra-judicial executions in Sri Lanka.
Gus was born and raised in South Africa. He commenced his career as a professional photojournalist, working in conflict and post-conflict settings in states such as the DRC, Liberia and South Sudan. His regional expertise on sub-Saharan Africa is informed by two decades’ experience traveling and working in more than twenty states across the continent.
Articles of War Posts
