Armed Groups

The West Africa–Sahel Connection: Mapping Cross-border Arms Trafficking, by Fiona Mangan and Matthias Nowak. Briefing Paper, December 2019.

• Overview

Who's Fighting Whom in Tripoli: How the 2019 Civil War is Transforming Libya's Military Landscape, by Wolfram Lacher. SANA Briefing Paper, August 2019 (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Capital of Militias: Tripoli's Armed Groups Capture the Libyan State, by Wolfram Lacher and Alaa al-Idrissi. SANA Briefing Paper, June 2018 (also available in Arabic)

• Overview

From Legal to Lethal: Converted Firearms in Europe, by Nicolas Florquin and Benjamin King. Small Arms Survey Report, April 2018 (also available in French).

• Overview

A Challenging State: Emerging Armed Groups in Egypt, by Mokhtar Awad. SANA Briefing Paper, July 2017 (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Tubu Trouble: State and Statelessness in the Chad–Sudan–Libya Triangle, by Jérôme Tubiana and Claudio Gramizzi, June 2017. HSBA Working Paper No. 43. A joint publication of HSBA, the Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA), and Conflict Armament Research (also available in Arabic and French).

• Overview

Remote-control Breakdown: Sudanese Paramilitary Forces and Pro-government Militias, April 2017. HSBA Issue Brief Number 27 (also available in Arabic)

Measuring Illicit Arms Flows: Somalia, October 2016. Research Note No. 61 (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Down, but Not Out: The FDLR in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 2016. Research Note No. 56, Armed Actors.

• Overview

Syria's Armed Opposition: A Spotlight on the 'Moderates', by Saskia Baas, January 2016. Security Assessment in North Africa Dispatch No. 5. (also available in Arabic)

• Overview
• Read online

A Fractious Rebellion: Inside the SPLM-IO, by John Young, September 2015. Working Paper No. 39 (also available in Arabic)

• Overview
  

Secret Stockpiles: Arms Caches and Disarmament Efforts in Mozambique, by Gary Littlejohn, September 2015. Working Paper 21

• Overview

Two Fronts, One War: Evolution of the Two Areas Conflict, 2014–15, by Benedetta De Alessi, August 2015. Working Paper No. 38 (also available in Arabic)

• Overview

There and Back: Trajectories of North African Foreign Fighters in Syria, July 2015. Security Assessment in North Africa Issue Brief No. 3 (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Missing Missiles: The Proliferation of Man-portable Air Defence Systems in North Africa, June 2015. Security Assessment in North Africa Issue Brief No. 2. (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Digging for Trouble: Violence and Frontier Urbanization, by Oliver Jütersonke and Hannah Dönges, 2015. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World.

In the Line of Fire: Elephant and Rhino Poaching in Africa, by Khristopher Carlson, Joanna Wright, and Hannah Dönges, 2015. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World.

Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA, by Raymond Debelle and Nicolas Florquin, 2015. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World.

Expanding Arsenals: Insurgent Arms in Northern Mali, by Holger Anders, 2015. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World.

Real but Fragile: The Greater Pibor Administrative Area, by Claudio Todisco, March 2015. Working Paper No. 35 (also available in Arabic)

MANPADS Proliferation Reduction by Design: On Countermeasures and Kill Switches, February 2015. Issue Brief No. 11.

• Overview

Armed Groups and Guided Light Weapons: 2014 Update with MENA Focus, December 2014. Research Note No. 47, Armed Actors. (also available in Arabic)

• Overview

Contested Borders: Continuing Tensions over the Sudan–South Sudan Border, by Joshua Craze, November 2014. Working Paper No. 34 (also available in Arabic)

• Overview

Countering Improvised Explosive Devices, October 2014. Research Note No. 46, Weapons and Markets. 

• Overview

Politics by Other Means: Conflicting Interests in Libya's Security Sector, by Wolfram Lacher and Peter Cole, October 2014. Working Paper No. 20 (also available in Turkish, Arabic)

• Overview

The Sudan Revolutionary Front: Its Formation and Development, by Andrew McCutchen, October 2014. Working Paper No. 33 (also availabe in Arabic)

Searching for Stability: Perceptions of Security, Justice, and Firearms in Libya, August 2014. Security Assessment in North Africa Issue Brief No. 1 (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Fire and Forget: The Proliferation of Man-portable Air Defence Systems in Syria, August 2014. Issue Brief No. 9.

• Overview

Protective Measures: Local Security Arrangements in Greater Upper Nile, July 2014. HSBA Issue Brief Number 23 (also available in Arabic)

Rogue Rocketeers: Artillery Rockets and Armed Groups, by Matt Schroeder, July 2014. Working Paper No. 19

• Overview

Feeding the Fire: Illicit Small Arms Ammunition in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, July 2014. Issue Brief No. 8.

• Overview

Signs of Supply: Weapons Tracing in Sudan and South Sudan, by Emile LeBrun and Jonah Leff, 2014. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and Guns.

Following the Thread: Arms and Ammunition Tracing in Sudan and South Sudan, by Jonah Leff and Emile LeBrun, May 2014. Working Paper No. 32. (Also in Arabic)

• Overview

Foreign Jihadism in Syria: The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, by Laurent Vinatier, April 2014. Security Assessment in North Africa Dispatch No. 4 (also available in Arabic).

• Overview
• Read online

Libya’s Fractious South and Regional Instability, by Wolfram Lacher, February 2014. Security Assessment in North Africa Dispatch No. 3 (also available in Arabic and Turkish).

• Overview
• Read online

At an Impasse: The Conflict in Blue Nile, by Claudio Gramizzi, December 2013. Working Paper No. 31 (Also in Arabic)

• Overview

Pendulum Swings: The Rise and Fall of Insurgent Militias in South Sudan, November 2013. HSBA Issue Brief Number 22 (also available in Arabic)

Dividing lines: Grazing and conflict along the Sudan–South Sudan border, by Joshua Craze, July 2013. Working Paper No. 30

Armed Groups’ Holdings of Guided Light Weapons, June 2013. Research Note No. 31, Armed Actors (also available in BCMS and Bulgarian).

• Overview

Captured and Counted: Illicit Weapons in Mexico and the Philippines, by Matt Schroeder, 2013. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers.

'Infernal Machines': Improvised Explosive Devices. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers.

Ad Hoc Arsenals: PSSM Practices of Selected Non-state Actors, May 2013. Armed Actors Issue Brief No. 2.

• Overview
  

The Missing Middle: Examining the Armed Group Phenomenon in Nepal, May 2013. Nepal Armed Violence Assessment Issue Brief No. 1 (also available in Nepali).

• Overview

Rebel Forces in Northern Mali: Documented Weapons, Ammunition and Related Materiel. Co-published with Conflict Armament Research, April 2013.

• Overview

Demobilization in the DRC: Armed Groups and the Role of Organizational Control, April 2013. Armed Actors Issue Brief No. 1.

• Overview

New War, Old Enemies: Conflict Dynamics in South Kordofan, by Claudio Gramizzi and Jérôme Tubiana, April 2013. Working Paper No. 29 (also availabe in Arabic)

Internal Control: Codes of Conducts within Insurgent Armed Groups, by Olivier Bangerter, November 2012. Occasional Paper No. 31 (see also Executive Summary)

• Overview

My Neighbour, My Enemy: Inter-tribal Violence in Jonglei, October 2012. HSBA Issue Brief Number 21 (also available in Arabic)

After the Fall: Libya's Evolving Armed Groups, by Brian McQuinn, October 2012. Working Paper No. 12 (also available in Arabic)

• Overview

Between State and Non-state: Somaliland's Emerging Security Order, by Dominik Balthasar and Janis Grzybowski, 2012. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets.

Photo Essay: Troubled Waters: Somali Piracy. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets.

Armed Groups in Libya: Typology and Roles, June 2012. Research Note No. 18, Armed Actors (also available in Arabic).

• Overview

Reaching for the Gun: Arms Flows and Holdings in South Sudan, April 2012. HSBA Issue Brief Number 19 (also available in Arabic)

Regulating Armed Groups from Within: A Typology, January 2012. Research Note No. 13, Armed Actors.

• Overview

Fighting for Spoils: Armed Insurgencies in Greater Upper Nile, November 2011. HSBA Issue Brief No. 18 (also available in Arabic)

Armed Violence in the Terai. co-published with Interdisciplinary Analysts, Nepal Madhes Foundation, and Saferworld, August 2011.

A Legacy of War? Perceptions of Security in Liberia, September 2011. Liberia Armed Violence Assessment Issue Brief No. 1.

Options for Engagement: Armed Groups and Humanitarian Norms, by Nicolas Florquin, Pascal Bongard and Emilia Richard, 2010. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns.

Creating Facts on the Ground: Conflict Dynamics in Abyei, by Joshua Craze, June 2011. Working Paper No. 26 (also available in Arabic)

Urban Violence in an Urban Village: A Case Study of Dili, Timor-Leste, edited by Robert Muggah, October 2010

Elusive Arsenals: Gang and Group Firearms, by Aaron Karp, 2010. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns.

Gangs, Groups, and Guns: An Overview, by Jennifer M.Hazen, 2010. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns.

Force Multiplier: Pro-government Armed Groups, by Jennifer M. Hazen, 2010. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns.

Back to the Brink: Armed Violence in Southern Sudan, by Claire McEvoy and Emile LeBrun, 2010. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns. 

Arms in and around Mauritania: National and Regional Security Implications, by Stéphanie Pézard with Anne-Kathrin Glatz, June 2010. Occasional Paper No. 24 (also available in French)

Primed and Purposeful: Armed Groups and Human Security Efforts in the Philippines, by Soliman M. Santos, Jr. and Paz Verdades M. Santos with Octavio A. Dinampo, Herman Joseph S. Kraft, Artha Kira R. Paredes, and Raymund Jose G. Quilop, edited by Diana Rodriguez,  published by the South-South Network for Non-State Armed Group Engagement and the Small Arms Survey, April 2010. 

Revealing Provenance: Weapons Tracing during and after Conflict, by James Bevan, 2009. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2009: Shadows of War (Also available in Arabic).

Man, the State, and War: The Three Faces of Small Arms Disarmament, by Aaron Karp, 2009. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2009: Shadows of War. 

The Limits of DDR: Reintegration Lessons from Aceh, by Patrick Barron, 2009. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2009: Shadows of War. 

DDR in Afghanistan: When State-building and Insecurity Collide, by Michael Bhatia et al., 2009. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2009: Shadows of War.

Deadly Deception: Arms Transfer Diversion, by Matt Schroeder, Helen Close, and Chris Stevenson, 2008. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience.  

The Central African Republic and Small Arms: A Regional Tinderbox, by Eric G. Berman with Louisa N. Lombard, December 2008 (also available in French).

Blowback: Kenya's Illicit Ammunition Problem in Turkana North District, by James Bevan, June 2008. Occasional Paper No. 22 (Executive Summary also available)

Arsenals Adrift: Arms and Ammunition Diversion, by James Bevan, 2008. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience. ../fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/Special/SAS-Small-Arms-Control-Measures-and-ATT.pdf

Crisis in Karamoja: Armed Violence and the Failure of Disarmament in Uganda’s Most Deprived Region, by James Bevan, June 2008. Occasional Paper No. 21 (Executive Summary also available)

Allies and Defectors: An Update on Armed Group Integration and Proxy Force Activity, May 2008. HSBA Issue Brief No. 11 (also available in Arabic)

Quoi de neuf sur le front congolais? Evaluation de base sur la circulation des armes lLégères et de petit calibre en République du Congo, by Robert Muggah and Ryan Nichols, published with the UNDP–Republic of the Congo, December 2007. Special Report No. 8

Small Arms, Armed Violence, and Insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in Perspective, by Jennifer M. Hazen with Jonas Horner, December 2007. Occasional Paper No. 20

Armed Violence in Burundi: Conflict and Post-Conflict Bujumbura, by Nicolas Florquin and Stéphanie Pézard, 2007. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.

What Price the Kalashnikov? The Economics of Small Arms, by Phillip Killicoat, 2007. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.

Enemy Within: Ammunition Diversion in Uganda and Brazil, by James Bevan and Pablo Dreyfus, 2007. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.

Avoiding Disarmament Failure: The Critical Link in DDR—An Operational Manual for Donors, Managers, and Practitioners, by Peter Swarbrick, February 2007. Working Paper No. 5

No Refuge: The Crisis of Refugee Militarization in Africa, edited by Robert Muggah, co-published with BICC, published by Zed Books, July 2006.

La République Centrafricaine: une étude de cas sur les armes légères et les conflits, by Eric G. Berman, with the support of UNDP, July 2006. Special Report No. 6

Deadly Diversions: Illicit Transfers of Ammunition for Small Arms and Light Weapons, by Mike Bourne and Ilhan Berkol, 2006. In Stéphanie Pézard and Holger Anders, eds. Targeting Ammunition: A Primer.

Sustaining the Conflict: Ammunition for Attack, by Stéphanie Pézard, 2006. In Stéphanie Pézard and Holger Anders, eds. Targeting Ammunition: A Primer.

A Constant Threat: Armed Groups in West Africa, by Louisa. N. Lombard, 2006. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2006: Unfinished Business.

Fuelling Fear: The Lord's Resistance Army and Small Arms, by James Bevan, 2006. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2006: Unfinished Business.

Securing Haiti’s Transition: Reviewing Human Insecurity and the Prospects for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration, by Robert Muggah, November 2005. Occasional Paper No. 14 (also available in French)

Gun-running in Papua New Guinea: From Arrows to Assault Weapons in the Southern Highlands, by Philip Alpers, June 2005. Special Report No. 5

Sourcing the Tools of War: Small Arms Supplies to Conflict Zones, by Annee Khakee and Nicolas Florquin, 2005. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War.

Violent Exchanges: The Use of Small Arms in Conflict, by James Bevan, 2005. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War.

Behind the Numbers: Small Arms and Conflict Deaths, by Christina Wille with Keith Krause, 2005. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War.

The Central African Republic: A Case Study of Small Arms and Conflict, by Eric Berman, 2005. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2005: Weapons at War.

Armed and Aimless: Armed Groups, Guns, and Human Security in the ECOWAS Region, edited by Nicolas Florquin and Eric G. Berman, May 2005 (also available in French).

A Fragile Peace: Guns and Security in Post-Conflict Macedonia, by Suzette R. Grillot et al., commissioned by UNDP and co-published with BICC and SEESAC, June 2004. Special Report No. 4

Big Issue, Big Problem? MANPADS, by James Bevan, 2004. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2004: Rights at Risk.

Small Arms in Kyrgyzstan: A Small Arms Anomaly in Central Asia? by S. Neil MacFarlane and Stina Torjesen, February 2004. Occasional Paper No. 12 (also available in Kyrgyz)

Making the Difference? Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo, by Ian Biddle et al., 2003. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied.

Talking about Disarmament: The Role of Small Arms in Peace Processes, by Camilla Waszink, 2003. In Small Arms Survey, Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied

Buchanan, Cate, ed. 2011. Armed Violence in Mindanao: Militia and private armies. Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies. Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

Buchanan, Cate, ed. 2011. Conflict Resolution: Learning Lessons from Dialogue Processes in India. Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Delhi Policy Group. Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). 2011. Armed Groups: Understanding Armed Groups and the Applicable Law. International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 93, No. 882. June. Geneva and Cambridge: International Committee of the Red Cross and Cambridge University Press.

Buchanan, Cate, ed. 2011. Conflict Management in Indonesia - An Analysis of the Conflicts in Maluku, Papua and Poso. Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and Current Asia. Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

Couldrey, Marion and Maurice Herson, eds. 2011. Armed Non-State Actors and Displacement. Forced Migration Review, No. 37. March, pp. 4-42.

Hangzo, Pau Khan Khup and Manpavan Kaur. 2011. Pro-Government Armed Groups: A Source of Peace or Multipliers of Conflict? NTS Alert No. 2. Singapore: Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Geneva Call. 2010. Fact Finding During Armed Conflict: Report of the 2009 Verification Mission to the Philippines to Investigate Allegations of Anti-Personnel Landmine Use by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Geneva: Geneva Call.

Davis, Diane. 2009. Non-State Armed Actors, New Imagined Communities, and Shifting Patterns of Sovereignty and Insecurity in the Modern World. Contemporary Security Policy, Vol. 30, No. 2. August, pp. 221-245.

Becker, Jo. 2008. Child Soldiers and Armed Groups. Notes for a Presentation to the Conference on “Curbing Human Rights Abuses by Armed Groups,” Centre of International Relations, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 14-15 November.

Geneva Call, PSIO (Program for the Study of International Organization[s]), and UNIDIR (United Nations Institute of Disarmament Research). 2008. Exploring Criteria & Conditions for Engaging Armed Non-State Actors to Respect Humanitarian Law & Human Rights Law.
 Conference Report, Geneva, 4-5 June 2007. Geneva: Geneva Call.

Florquin, Nicolas and Elisabeth Decrey Warner. 2008. Engaging non-state armed groups or listing terrorists? Implications for the arms control community. Disarmament Forum - Engaging non-state armed groups. No. 1. Pp 17-26.

Williams, Phil. 2008. Violent Non-State Actors and National and International Security. Zurich: International Relations and Security Network. 

International Crisis Group. 2007. Colombia’s New Armed Groups. Latin America Report No. 20. Brussels: International Crisis Group.

Geneva Call. 2007. Armed Non-State Actors and Landmines Volume III: Towards a Holistic Approach to Armed Non-State Actors. Co-published with the Program for the Study of International Organizations. Geneva: Geneva Call.

Clapham, Andrew. 2006. Human Rights Obligations of Non-State Actors. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sassòli, Marco. 2006. Transnational Armed Groups and International Humanitarian Law. Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, Occasional Paper Series No. 6. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.

Capie, David. 2004. Armed Groups, Weapons Availability and Misuse: an Overview of the Issues and Options for Action. Background Paper prepared for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue meeting, Bamako, Mali, 25 May 2004.

Ziegveld, Liesbeth. 2002. The Accountability of Armed Opposition Groups in International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bruderlein, Claude. 2000. The role of non-state actors in building security: the case of armed groups in intra-state wars. Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.