Editing Combatant (section)

====Privileged combatants====
The following categories of combatants qualify for prisoner-of-war status on capture:

# Members of the [[armed forces]] of a Party to the conflict as well as members of [[militia]]s or [[military volunteer|volunteer corps]] forming part of such armed forces.
# Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organized [[resistance movement]]s, belonging to a party to the conflict and operating in or outside their own territory, even if this [[military occupation|territory is occupied]], provided that they fulfill the following conditions:
#* that of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;
#* that of having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance;
#* that of carrying arms openly;
#* that of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.
# Members of regular armed forces who profess allegiance to a government or an authority not recognized by the Detaining Power.
# Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take up arms to resist the invading forces, without having had time to form themselves into regular armed units, provided they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war; often dubbed a ''levée'' after the [[Levée en masse|mass conscription during the French Revolution]].

For countries which have signed the "Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts" ([[Protocol I]]), combatants who do not wear a distinguishing mark still qualify as prisoners of war if they carry arms openly during military engagements, and while visible to the enemy when they are deploying to conduct an attack against them.