IV. Concluding remarks
As discussed above, the rules of IHL restrict the conduct of siege warfare in a number of significant ways. It may even be true that compliance with IHL by the besieging forces may delay the achievement of the military objectives of the siege. While it may go too far to say that it is now impossible to conduct a siege that complies with IHL, the significant vulnerability of civilians caught up in sieges puts particular emphasis on the need for both besieging and besieged forces to comply scrupulously with the provisions for their protection. And in view of the key role of evacuations in alleviating the risks and deprivations caused by sieges, belligerents should strive to conclude agreements to evacuate civilians and the wounded and sick.