Citation: Sean Molloy, ”Reframing Child Participation in Today’s Conflict-Affected Contexts”, MEAC Research into Action, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/02.  

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Against this background, UNIDIR, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa organized in 2023 a regional seminar on preventing violent extremism (PVE) and weapons and ammunition management (WAM) in West Africa. The seminar called for adopting an integrated approach to both issues and recommended a study to support this paradigm shift.

This empirical study examines an integrated approach to address the illicit supply of weapons and the root causes of violence by analyzing intersections between PVE and WAM across policy frameworks, institutions and operational practices. It identifies existing good examples of integrating PVE and WAM and explores promising, context-specific opportunities in the region. The study derives practical steps to support States, regional and continental organizations, UN entities and other stakeholders in operationalizing such an integrated approach in West Africa and beyond.

Citation: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, and Peace and Human Rights Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, “Integrating the Prevention of Violent Extremism and Illicit Weapons Proliferation in West Africa: A Way Forward”, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/26/PACAV/02 

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The results highlight both areas where participants’ priorities align with the support they receive and persistent gaps that may undermine the overall effectiveness of reincorporation efforts. They also show that participants continue to face significant obstacles—including economic hardship and insecurity—that affect their transition to civilian life and, in some cases, may increase the risk of returning to illicit activities, thereby jeopardizing peacebuilding efforts. The report offers concrete recommendations to strengthen support within the reincorporation process and to inform future disarmament, demobilization and reintegration-style initiatives, as well as broader peacebuilding strategies in Colombia and beyond.

Citation: Angela Olaya, Kyle Johnson, Sofia Rivas, Jente Althuis, Moritz Hoene, Siobhan O’Neil, “Headway and Hurdles: The Reincorporation Progress and Challenges Faced by FARC-EP Ex-combatants”, Findings Report 49, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/01

El informe analiza las experiencias, los avances y los principales desafíos que enfrentan los exintegrantes de las FARC-EP en su proceso de reincorporación. Los hallazgos se basan en 319 encuestas realizadas entre julio y octubre de 2025 a participantes activos en cuatro ubicaciones: dos Espacios Territoriales de Capacitación y Reincorporación —Tierra Grata (departamento del Cesar) y Mariana Páez (departamento del Meta)— así como las ciudades de Bogotá y Medellín.

Los hallazgos identifican tanto áreas en las que las prioridades de las y los participantes se alinean con el apoyo recibido como brechas persistentes que podrían socavar la eficacia general del proceso de reincorporación. También evidencian que las y los participantes continúan enfrentando desafíos importantes —como dificultades económicas e inseguridad— que afectan su tránsito a la vida civil y que, en algunos casos, pueden aumentar el riesgo de regresar a actividades ilícitas. El informe presenta recomendaciones concretas para fortalecer el acompañamiento ofrecido dentro del proceso de reincorporación, para orientar futuras iniciativas de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración, así como estrategias más amplias de construcción de paz en Colombia y más allá.

Citation: Angela Olaya, Kyle Johnson, Sofia Rivas, Jente Althuis, Moritz Hoene, Siobhan O’Neil, “Avances y Desafíos en la Reincorporación de Exintegrantes de las FARC-EP”, Findings Report 49, UNIDIR, Ginebra, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/01

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The report assesses how former associates of Boko Haram and former affiliates of community security actors like the CJTF and Yan Gora are doing economically compared to their non- affiliated peers, to inform reintegration support in the region. The findings are based on three-part survey conducted in the North East of Nigeria between 2021-2023 and highlight the reintegration journeys of individuals who left Boko Haram prior to the “mass exits” following the death of leader Abubakar Shekau in May 2021. A comparative section incorporates more recent data from a panel survey conducted in 2024-2025, showing how earlier findings remain relevant for those who exited during or after the mass exits.

Citation: Jente Althuis, Kato Van Broeckhoven, Francesca Batault, Mohammed Bukar and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Rebuilding Lives: Understanding Economic Well-being After Exiting an Armed Group in the North East of Nigeria,” Findings Report 48, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/12. 

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The study highlights existing barriers to farming and agricultural livelihoods, such as climate shocks and mass displacement, and their negative impact on reintegration. It also includes recommendations on how policies and programmes can better support dignified, sustainable and climate-resilient pathways for returnees.

Citation: Amos Benjamin and Francesca Batault, “Farming Amid Conflict: Agricultural Challenges and Their Impact on the Reintegration of Former Boko Haram Associates in the North East of Nigeria”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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Citation: Kato Van Broeckhoven, Francesca Batault, Mohammed Bukar, and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Building Bridges: Community Acceptance of Former Boko Haram Associates in the North East of Nigeria”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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Citation: Moritz Hoene, Francesca Batault, Kato van Broeckhoven, Siobhan O’Neil, Mohammed Bukar, and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Addressing Silent Burdens: Effective Responses to Psychological Distress in the North East of Nigeria”, Findings Report 46, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025. https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/09.

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Effectively addressing the needs of women and girls exiting armed groups through gender-sensitive programmes that reflect their lived realities is key to achieving sustainable peace for all affected by the conflict.

Citation: Melissa Nyoni and Francesca Batault “At the Margins Gendered Barriers to Accessing Reintegration Programming in the Lake Chad Basin ”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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This report examines the economic (re)integration of Iraqi returnees from Al Hol. Drawing on panel data collected from returnees between 2022 and 2024, it analyses the economic well-being of this highly vulnerable population over time. The report describes some of the local economies in Al Anbar and Salah Al-Din governorates, which receive large numbers of returnees, and highlights the various barriers faced by returning female- and male-headed households, including lack of access to skills training, education, social networks, and documentation. Although returnees’ economic wellbeing slowly improves over time, this population continues to fall behind their peers in the community.

Citation: Jente Althuis, Muqadas Samarrai, and Noor Alzuber, “Struggling to Keep Up: Iraqi Returnees’ Economic (Re)integration Progress Over Time”, Findings Report 45, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/08.

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The findings highlight a need for more contextualized and survivor-informed responses. Ultimately, this brief aims to bring additional nuance to some of the discussions around CRSV in order to inform more effective, evidence-based prevention and response efforts.

Citation: Anamika Madhuraj, Francesca Batault and Sofia Rivas, “Reconsidering Common Conceptions Around Sexual Violence in Conflict Contexts: Evidence from the North West of Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and Colombia”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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The findings offer important policy recommendations, including tailoring prevention strategies to local realities and extending support to both child and adult populations at risk. Importantly, it underscores the need to recognize civilian agency and incorporate it into broader efforts to reduce violence and protect civilians.

Citation: Joanne Richards, “Desperate Measures: How Civilians Avoid Forced Recruitment During Ongoing Conflict”, MEAC Research into Action, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/07.

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Citation: Angela Aguirre, Angela Gómez, Sofia Rivas, Dr Siobhan O’Neil, “Engagement with the Nasa Indigenous Community of Northern Cauca, Colombia”, Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Research Fieldwork Note, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/06. 

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Drawing on this evidence, the report aims to inform efforts to improve the return and reintegration process for former Boko Haram associates and the communities receiving them. It concludes with co-created, bottom-up recommendations on how to make reintegration more effective and responsive to the needs of conflict-affected populations in the region.

Citation: Chitra Nagarajan, Francesca Batault, Remadji Hoinathy, Célestin Delanga and Douvagaï, “Community Perspectives on Return and Reintegration in Cameroon and Chad”, Findings Report 44, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/05.

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Repatriations of Iraqis from Syria’s Al Hol Camp through the Al-Amal Centre have increased since the start of 2025, supported by the recent announcement of the second phase of the “ONE UN plan” in Iraq. Increased repatriations mean more attention – and likely resources – are required to enable Iraqi families to leave Al-Amal without unnecessary delays and with the same degree of required support received by earlier cohorts to start their reintegration journey in Iraq. This brief presents insights on the safety and basic needs of returnees, services and education in the Centre, civil documentation, and the departure process from Al-Amal to returnees’ chosen area of return in Iraq.

Citation: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, “Update on the Situation of Iraqi Returnees in Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre (Formerly Jeddah-1 Centre)”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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Mr Abebe and Dr Mathshanda highlight the key reasons why the agreement failed, including the lack of a clear disarmament, demobilization and reintegration strategy.

The findings offer crucial lessons to peacebuilders by highlighting the significance of inclusive, transparent and well-structured peace processes in post-conflict transitions.

Citation: Marew Abebe and Namhla Thando Matshanda, “Peace Without Process? Disarmament Failures and the 2018 OLF–Ethiopian Government Accord”, MEAC Research into Action, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/04.

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The study draws on two rounds of focus groups with community leaders, civil authorities, Indigenous communities, public forces and youth in San José de Guaviare. The first round was conducted in November 2023, before the El Niño effects were widely felt, and the second round was conducted in September 2024, after its most severe impacts.

The findings indicate a marked increase in deforestation during the El Niño cycle, driven by dry conditions that were favourable to these activities, which had significant social, cultural, economic and environmental consequences for communities in the region. FARC dissident groups have taken advantage of these dry conditions, establishing a robust business model centred on regulating deforestation and profiting from related economic activities in the region, such as cattle ranching, as well as milk and wood production. Moreover, dissidents have also used deforestation as a tool to pressure the government to comply with their demands during the Total Peace negotiations.

Institutional responses to prevent and tackle deforestation, however, remain insufficient, primarily due to limited State control over the affected territories. This underscores the urgent need for increased support for communities in the Amazon grappling with the dual challenges of climate change and insecurity.

In collaboration with the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, the report offers several recommendations, including strengthening security measures to ensure the continuity and sustainability of environmental authorities’ work, raising awareness of deforestation issues, enhancing institutional capacity to address the problem, and generating more evidence and data on the matter.

Este informe explora la relación entre las perturbaciones climáticas, la degradación causada por el ser humano y las actividades de grupos armados en la Amazonía colombiana. El informe se enfoca en la participación de disidencias de las FARC-EP en actividades de deforestación durante el fenómeno de El Niño de 2023-2024 con el fin de explorar cómo estos grupos han adaptado su comportamiento en respuesta a las perturbaciones climáticas causadas por este fenómeno, utilizando El Niño como un indicador de los impactos esperados del cambio climático.

El estudio se basa en dos rondas de grupos focales con líderes comunitarios, autoridades civiles, comunidades indígenas, fuerzas públicas y jóvenes en San José del Guaviare. La primera ronda se llevó a cabo en noviembre de 2023, antes de la llegada de El Niño, y la segunda en septiembre de 2024, después de sus impactos más severos.

Los hallazgos revelan un aumento significativo en la deforestación durante el fenómeno de El Niño, impulsado por las sequías y altas temperaturas que facilitan estas actividades, y con consecuencias sociales, culturales, económicas y ambientales importantes para las comunidades de la región. Los grupos disidentes de las FARC-EP han aprovechado estas sequías para establecer un modelo de negocio centrado en la regulación de la deforestación y en obtener beneficios de actividades económicas como la ganadería, así como la producción de leche y madera. Además, los disidentes también han utilizado la deforestación como herramienta para presionar al gobierno a cumplir con sus demandas en las negociaciones de Paz Total.

Las respuestas institucionales para prevenir y enfrentar la deforestación, sin embargo, siguen siendo insuficientes, principalmente debido al limitado control del Estado sobre los territorios afectados. Esto muestra la urgente necesidad de proveer un mayor apoyo a las comunidades de la Amazonía que enfrentan los desafíos tanto del cambio climático como de la inseguridad.

En colaboración con la Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS), el informe ofrece varias recomendaciones, tales como el fortalecimiento de medidas de seguridad para garantizar la continuidad y sostenibilidad de los esfuerzos de las autoridades ambientales, la sensibilización frente a los problemas de deforestación, el fortalecimiento de la capacidad institucional para abordar el problema y la generación de más evidencia y datos al respecto.

Citation: Juanita Vélez, Ángela Aguirre, Sofia Rivas, Dr. Siobhan O’Neil, “Armed Group Responses to Climate Shocks: A Study of FARC-EP Dissident Activities in the Colombian Amazon During an El Niño Year,” Findings Report 43, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/03.

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Conflict early-warning efforts need access to all relevant data that can improve their performance. Data on flows of conventional arms and ammunition could be relevant for such efforts: weapons flows into unstable regions have long been considered as a possible signal of a future outbreak, escalation or relapse of armed conflict. However, arms flow data is only used sporadically for early warning, and its potential remains underexplored.

To address this gap, the UNIDIR, Conflict Armament Research (CAR), the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Violence and Impacts Early-Warning System (VIEWS) launched the initiative ‘Building Bridges and Incubating Ideas for Stronger Conflict Prevention: Harnessing Arms and Ammunition Flow Data for Early Warning’ to foster use of arms flow data for more effective early warning.

This insight distills the key takeaways and pathways for action that emerged from expert exchanges within this joint initiative.

Visit the Arms Flows and Early Warning Dashboard for a mapping of available arms and ammunition flows data, as well as early warning initiatives.

Citation: Joshua Angelo Bata, Matilde Vecchioni, and Ursign Hofmann (2025) “Pathways to Action: Harnessing Arms Flow Data for Conflict Early Warning, Insights from 2024 expert exchanges”, UNIDIR, CAR, PRIO, VIEWS. https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/25/PACAV/07.

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This brief provides background on the little-known Lakurawa, and draws on quantitative research conducted across the North West of Nigeria from January to February 2025 which gathered perspectives from 2,236 community members across Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara. Valuable lessons can be drawn from the the group’s rise as it exemplifies the potential dangers of grassroots security solutions, if they evolve into threats themselves.

Citation: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, “The Lakurawa: North West Nigeria’s ‘Newest’ Threat”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025.

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Given how community receptivity is driven by local dynamics – experiences during the conflict, the role of the state versus tribes and militias in the area and the number of returnees in the community – it becomes clear that a blanket approach to community outreach is not likely to be effective. Return policies and reintegration programming must consider the specificities of local communities and their internal dynamics. Messages and programmes crafted to specific contexts and working with hyper-local partners to ensure situational awareness are therefore crucial in supporting returnees’ social and economic reintegration, and social cohesion more broadly.

Citation: Mara Revkin, Benjamin Krick and Raed Aldulaimi, “Reintegrating Iraqis Returning Home After Conflict: Lessons from Variation Between 4 Communities,” Findings Report 41, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2024, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/01.

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The post Banditry in Nigeria’s North West: Key Findings first appeared on UNIDIR.

The brief highlights the complex challenges these individuals are facing post-exit, including unmet basic needs like food, water and shelter, which can persist years after exit and difficulties in rebuilding livelihoods against a backdrop of climate change and ongoing insecurity. There are persistent gaps in service provision and a lack of gender-sensitive reintegration programming. This report draws from qualitative research conducted across the three countries between February and October 2024. Effectively addressing the needs of those exiting armed groups, and those of the communities into which they are reintegrating, through tailored and gender-sensitive responses is key to advancing an inclusive peace in the region.

Citation: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, “The Current Needs of Former Boko Haram Associates and Their Communities of Return”, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2024.

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The report draws from a survey with over 3,600 respondents conducted in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in North East Nigeria between April and June 2024. Based on this evidence, the report seeks to inform efforts to enhance the delivery and legitimacy of aid in the eyes of local communities and concludes with recommendations on how to better tailor aid to these conflict-affected populations in the region.

Citation: Swetha Ramachandra, Kato van Broeckhoven, Siobhan O’Neil, Francesca Batault, Mohammed Bukar and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Trust Matters: Community Perceptions Towards Aid Organizations in the North East of Nigeria”, Findings Report 40, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2024, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/24/11.

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Alongside the findings from qualitative research, the report also draws from data collected in multiple surveys conducted across the three countries between April and June 2024. Ultimately, the report seeks to provide much-needed nuance to the experiences of women and girls to inform prevention and reintegration programming to ensure that such programming is gender-sensitive and ultimately more effective at addressing the unique needs of women and girls formerly associated with Boko Haram.

Citation: Chitra Nagarajan, Francesca Batault, Siobhan O’Neil and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Survival and Struggle: The Experience of Women and Girls With and After Boko Haram,” Findings Report 39, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2024, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/24/10.

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The study reveals that some survivors of sexual violence join illegal armed groups seeking justice, as local mechanisms often fail to hold perpetrators accountable. This is exacerbated by unequal gender norms, limited family and community support for survivors and systemic barriers to justice.

In collaboration with the ACIN, the report offers recommendations for gender-sensitive conflict prevention and reintegration efforts that consider the distinct needs of Indigenous communities and those of survivors. These include improving policies and guidance, enhancing training and capacity-building, strengthening documentation and data collection on the issue, increasing survivor support services and promoting normative change.

Este informe examina la conexión entre la violencia sexual y el reclutamiento en grupos armados dentro de la comunidad indígena Nasa en el Norte del Cauca, Colombia. Los hallazgos se basan en entrevistas y grupos focales realizados en julio de 2024 con actores clave de la comunidad Nasa, como miembros de la Guardia Indígena y líderes de la Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca (ACIN), específicamente del ‘Tejido Mujer’ y ‘Tejido Defensa de la Vida’ de la organización.

El estudio revela que algunos sobrevivientes de violencia sexual se unen a grupos armados ilegales en busca de justicia, ya que los mecanismos disponibles en sus comunidades no logran ofrecer justicia ni responsabilizar a los perpetradores. Esta situación se ve agravada por normas de género desiguales, un apoyo limitado por parte de la familia y la comunidad hacia los y las sobrevivientes, y barreras para acceder a la justicia.

En colaboración con la ACIN, el informe ofrece recomendaciones sensibles al género que consideran las necesidades específicas de las comunidades indígenas y de los y las sobrevivientes para la prevención de conflictos y la reintegración. Estas incluyen mejorar políticas y orientaciones, fortalecer la capacitación y el desarrollo de capacidades, reforzar la documentación y recolección de datos sobre el tema, aumentar los servicios de apoyo para los y las sobrevivientes y promover un cambio normativo.

Citation: Ángela Aguirre, Ángela Gómez, Juanita Vélez, Sofia Rivas, Dr. Siobhan O’Neil, “Sexual violence and the Struggle for Justice: The Involvement of Indigenous Nasa Survivors in Armed Groups in Northern Cauca”, Findings Report 38, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2024, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/24/09.

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