Civil War or Revolution

For an internal conflict to be considered a “civil war” or “revolution”, it must meet four basic requirements:

• The government must be a belligerent. This means that the government is one of the parties involved or is directly assisting one of parties involved. Two groups going to war within a country don’t qualify as a civil war or revolution.
• The deployment of the nation’s military with a scope beyond that of a police action. Regular troops (not the national guard) must be in direct conflict with another party from within the country.
• Effective and sustained conflict by both sides. A genocide doesn’t qualify. A guerilla insurgency may not qualify depending on the size/scope and frequency.
• Minimum threshold of combat-related deaths. The actual number varies by nation, but in practical terms it means that enough deaths occur that it becomes significant to the general population of the country.

As outlined in:

Resort to Arms: Internationals and Civil Wars, 1816-1980 by Melvin Small & Joel David Singer https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803917767/