Fragile Alliances among Violent Non-State Actors: Violence, Fear and Uncertainty in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela

• In Event: The Impact of Armed Groups on Civilians

Abstract

In this paper I aim to enhance understanding of how fragile alliances among violent non-state actors such as rebels, paramilitary groups and criminal gangs affect citizen security. Fragile alliances are collaborative short-term arrangements between different violent non-state actors without any initial expectations of long-term commitment. They are based on shared interests and personal bonds. As a result, these alliances are only minimally institutionalised; the groups are barely interdependent because they can easily quit the arrangement. The fragility of these alliances makes it difficult for citizens to comply with “the rules of the game” that violent non-state actors impose in areas where they have control. As I argue, this matters for the citizens’ physical security: the lines between armed group members and “ordinary citizens” are blurred and everyone is a potential victim of violence. Producing fear and mistrust among the local communities, fragile alliances among violent non-state actors contribute to the erosion of the social fabric and undermine the state-society relationship. Citizens in regions where violent non-state actors form such alliances thus face constant disorientation and uncertainty. The paper is based on more than one year of fieldwork in and on marginalised regions of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela where fragile alliances among insurgent groups, post-demobilised or other criminal groups are thriving. I conducted semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders such as ex-combatants, civil society leaders, military and police officials, displaced people and NGO officials.

Author

• Annette I Idler, Oxford University