Combatentes

Combatentes is a Portuguese term that refers to people who participate in armed conflict or battle. In general usage it denotes fighters, soldiers, or combatants, including both members of formal armed forces and irregular fighters who actively engage in hostilities. The word comes from combate (combat) with the agentive suffix -entes.

In international humanitarian law, combatants are those who form part of the armed forces of a state or of organized armed groups that are party to a conflict and that meet certain criteria, such as bearing arms, being part of a command structure, and complying with military discipline. Civilians who do not directly participate in hostilities are protected from attack. Combatants may be legitimate targets during armed conflict and, if captured, are generally entitled to prisoner-of-war status and humane treatment under the laws and customs of war. Irregular combatants, combatants who do not meet the criteria for lawful combatants, and mercenaries may have different or reduced protections depending on the circumstances and applicable law.

The term is widely used in Lusophone contexts to refer to veterans of wars, as well as to active fighters. In Portugal, Brazil, and former Portuguese colonies, “combatentes” often appears in historical discussions, veterans’ associations, and commemorations related to conflicts such as Portugal’s overseas wars and anti-colonial struggles in Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau. In contemporary language, it can also describe anyone actively engaged in fighting, whether within a formal military organization or an irregular armed group.