Managing Exits from Armed Conflict → UNIDIR

Persistent Insecurity Challenges Impacting Defection Pathways out of Armed and Criminal Groups in Colombia

Asa Cusack — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:29:49 +0000

The report analyzes the security challenges, as well as the interconnected legal and socioeconomic obstacles, faced by ex-members of dissident and criminal groups participating in the Differential Assistance Process who have defected and are working to transition to civilian life and examines how these challenges impact their progress. The findings presented draw on multiple sources, including extensive desk research, primary data collected through two rounds of surveys conducted with participants in the Differential Assistance process, as well as observations made by the research team during fieldwork. The first round of surveys took place in 2022 and included 50 participants across three locations: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. The second round was carried out in 2025 with 102 participants in total in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Cundinamarca.

The results highlight that differential assistance participants continue to face direct security threats, placing their physical safety at risk while simultaneously exacerbating economic vulnerability. Additionally, participants have a lack of certainty about their legal benefits and obligations, which can heighten the risk of being detected by armed and criminal groups. These overlapping challenges must be taken seriously since they complicate transitions to civilian life and increase the risk of disengagement from the Differential Assistance process. The report also offers suggestions to strengthen protection and support for participants and contribute to the dismantling of criminal structures and sustainable reintegration outcomes more broadly.

Citation: Sofia Rivas, Angela Olaya, Moritz Hoene, Jente Althuis, Siobhan O’Neil, Angela Gomez, “Persistent Insecurity Challenges Impacting Defection Pathways Out of Armed and Criminal Groups in Colombia”, Findings Report 50, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/03

El informe analiza los desafíos de seguridad, así como los obstáculos legales y socioeconómicos, que enfrentan exmiembros de grupos disidentes y criminales que participan en el proceso de Atención Diferencial en Colombia, y examina cómo estos desafíos impactan su progreso.

Los hallazgos se basan en múltiples fuentes, incluyendo una revisión exhaustiva de la literatura, datos recolectados a través de dos rondas de encuestas llevadas a cabo con participantes del proceso de Atención Diferencial de la ARN, así como en las observaciones del equipo MEAC derivadas de su interacción con esta población durante el trabajo de campo.

La primera ronda de encuestas ocurrió en 2022 e incluyó a 50 participantes en tres ubicaciones: Bogotá, Medellín y Cali. La segunda ronda se llevó a cabo en 2025 con un total de 102 participantes en Bogotá, Medellín, Cali y Cundinamarca.

Los resultados destacan que los y las participantes del proceso de Atención Diferencial continúan enfrentando amenazas de seguridad, lo que pone en riesgo su integridad física y, al mismo tiempo, exacerba su vulnerabilidad económica.

Además, los y las participantes muchas veces desconocen sus beneficios y obligaciones legales dentro del proceso, lo que puede aumentar el riesgo de ser identificados por grupos armados y criminales.

Estos desafíos interrelacionados deben tomarse en serio, ya que impactan su tránsito a la vida civil y aumentan el riesgo de que los y las participantes se desvinculen del proceso de Atención Diferencial.

El informe también ofrece sugerencias para fortalecer la protección y el apoyo que se le ofrece a estos participantes y contribuir al desmantelamiento de estructuras criminales y a mejores resultados en materia de reintegración.

Citation: Sofia Rivas, Angela Olaya, Moritz Hoene, Jente Althuis, Siobhan O’Neil, Angela Gómez, “Desafíos de Seguridad que Impactan la Salida de Individuos de Grupos Armados y Criminales en Colombia”, Findings Report 50, UNIDIR, Ginebra, 2026, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/26/03.

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Reframing Child Participation in Today’s Conflict-Affected Contexts

Nicole Kwan Kiu Leung — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 08:34:04 +0000

This Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Research into Action report examines why children’s participation in peacebuilding so often fails to translate rights commitments into meaningful political influence. Dr Sean Molloy finds that children’s participation is constrained less by their capacity or willingness to engage, but more by adult gatekeeping, safeguarding regimes, institutional fragility and political volatility. The findings – drawn from original research with practitioners – offer crucial insights into the organisational and political work required to ensure children’s influence in post-conflict contexts.

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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Headway and Hurdles: The Reincorporation Progress and Challenges Faced by FARC-EP Ex-combatants

Nicole Kwan Kiu Leung — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:58:18 +0000

The report analyzes the experiences, progress and major challenges faced by former FARC-EP members in their ongoing reincorporation process. The findings draw on 319 surveys conducted between July and October 2025 with active reincorporation participants in four locations: two rural territorial training and reincorporation spaces —Tierra Grata (Cesar department) and Mariana Páez (Meta department)—and the cities of Bogotá and Medellín.

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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Rebuilding Lives: Understanding Economic Well-being After Exiting an Armed Group in the North East of Nigeria

Clara Zuccarino — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:58:31 +0000

This report examines one of the most critical aspects of reintegration after armed group involvement – establishing livelihoods and sources of income to replace the support often previously provided by armed groups. It compares the economic reintegration of former Boko Haram associates, and those exiting community security groups like the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), with community members who were never affiliated with any armed actor.

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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Exposure, Not Identity? Understanding Victimization by Bandits in Nigeria’s North West

Clara Zuccarino — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:57:14 +0000

This report analyses common assumptions about the banditry conflict in the North West of Nigeria and how they map onto other societal fault lines between farmers and herders and Hausa and Fulani communities.

The findings in this report are based on quantitative data collected in two rounds of a panel survey collected between January and March 2024 and January and February 2025 in three States affected by banditry violence: Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara. By questioning certain common narratives around the banditry conflict, livelihoods and tribal affiliation, this report aims to inform a more nuanced approach to the conflict and responses to violence.

Citation: Johanna Kleffmann, Moritz Hoene, Francesca Batault, Kato Van Broeckhoven, Siobhan O’Neil, Jente Althuis, Mohammed Bukar, and Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu, “Exposure, Not Identity? Understanding Victimization by Bandits in Nigeria’s North West”, Findings Report 47, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/11.

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Combating Conflict Related Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys: Challenges and Opportunities

Clara Zuccarino — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:09:49 +0000

This Research Fieldwork Note offers reflections on the various challenges implicated in research and programming involving Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) against men and boys. It also highlights concrete recommendations to address these challenges in practice.

The insights were drawn from research conducted by UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict with the Nasa Indigenous Community of Northern Cauca, Colombia, as well as on interviews with 18 experts on the topic. These research projects evidenced that despite growing evidence of the existence and prevalence of CRSV against men and boys, the issue remains under-investigated, and this group is largely overlooked in programming initiatives.

With proper contextualization, the recommendations may prove useful for international actors aiming to adopt more inclusive approaches and strengthen support for male survivors in their own settings.

Citation: Sofia Rivas, “Combating Conflict Related Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys: Challenges and Opportunities”, Fieldwork Note, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/10

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Farming Amid Conflict: Agricultural Challenges and their Impact on the Reintegration of Former Boko Haram Associates in the North East of Nigeria

Meyha Sharma — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:05:07 +0000

This brief examines how challenges to agricultural livelihoods hinder the reintegration of many former Boko Haram associates in the North East of Nigeria. The findings are based on a 3,388-person phone survey conducted between April and July 2025 with respondents across the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, as well as on qualitative accounts from former associates and community members and previous studies in the region.

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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Building Bridges: Community Acceptance of Former Boko Haram Associates in the North East of Nigeria

Meyha Sharma — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 13:22:41 +0000

This brief explores how former Boko Haram associates in North East Nigeria and the communities they return to experience acceptance during reintegration. A recent survey conducted with 2,117 community members and 852 former Boko Haram associates shows that generally, community acceptance to former Boko Haram associates is high and reintegration in North East Nigeria is well underway. However, specific challenges persist, especially for women and girls, and community acceptance can shift as conflict dynamics evolve. This highlights the need for continued research on community attitudes over time as well as for tailored reintegration support, for which the brief offers several recommendations.

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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Addressing Silent Burdens: Effective Responses to Psychological Distress in the North East of Nigeria

Meyha Sharma — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 09:29:56 +0000

This report sheds light on the topic of mental health and psychosocial well-being of conflict-affected populations in the North East of Nigeria. Analysing data collected by UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project in the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, it highlights several risk factors contributing to heightened levels of psychological distress experienced by community members and former associates of armed groups. Overall, both experiences of conflict violence as well as daily stressors are identified as drivers of psychological distress. Based on these findings, the report suggests possible pathways for designing effective mental health and psychosocial support programming with people affected by the Boko Haram conflict. Considering the lack of clinical resources, as is often the case in conflict contexts, low-cost and scalable activities should be prioritized.

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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At the Margins: Gendered Barriers to Accessing Reintegration Programming in the Lake Chad Basin

Meyha Sharma — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 21:33:43 +0000

This brief from UNIDIR’s Managing Exits From Armed Conflict Project examines persistent barriers to women and girls’ full participation in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration – like programming in the Lake Chad Basin region. The brief draws from quantitative and qualitative research conducted in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria in 2024, and concludes that women and girls often bypass center-based support. The interventions and support that they do receive is often not tailored to their needs and women and girls face unique challenges in reintegration that are not always understood and are often unaddressed.

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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Struggling to Keep Up: Iraqi Returnees’ Economic (Re)integration Progress Over Time

Meyha Sharma — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 13:05:51 +0000

Years of instability and protracted conflict have left large parts of the Iraqi economy in disarray. While the population as a whole has been widely impacted by the economic consequences of war, Iraqis returning from Al Hol Camp in northeast Syria face additional hurdles in (re)entering the economy after years outside the country.

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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Reconsidering Common Conceptions Around Sexual Violence in Conflict Contexts: Evidence from the North West of Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and Colombia

Meyha Sharma — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:42:29 +0000

This latest brief from UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project examines original evidence on sexual violence in conflict-affected contexts where the project runs studies. The brief assesses some commonly held assumptions around conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), such as the typology of perpetrators and impacts on men and boys, to test whether these assumptions hold in several of the project’s case study contexts, including the North West of Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and Colombia.

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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Desperate Measures: How Civilians Avoid Forced Recruitment During Ongoing Conflict

Meyha Sharma — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 12:50:33 +0000

This research into action interview with Dr Joanne Richards explores how civilians in conflict-affected areas navigate and resist forced recruitment by armed groups. While prevention efforts typically focus on the armed actors or on voluntary recruitment, the report sheds light on the everyday strategies civilians employ to avoid abduction – from fleeing and hiding, to organizing community defenses. Drawing on criminological theories like ‘signal crimes’, the research reveals how forced recruitment sends powerful signals that shape civilian behaviour and community responses.

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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Engagement with the Nasa Indigenous Community of Northern Cauca, Colombia

Meyha Sharma — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 13:40:08 +0000

This research fieldwork note offers reflections on how to build effective partnerships with Indigenous communities to tackle insecurity and build peace. These insights were drawn from Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project‘s 2024 collaboration with the Nasa Indigenous community in Northern Cauca to investigate whether sexual violence survivors in the community were joining armed groups due to the lack of justice and accountability for perpetrators. To avoid extractive practices and ensure ethical, community-centred research, the project employed a participatory approach that actively involved leaders from the Association of Indigenous Cabildos of Northern Cauca at every stage of the research process. Building on this ongoing partnership, the report offers emerging lessons learned from this experience that could be useful for policymakers and practitioners seeking to engage Indigenous communities in respectful, effective efforts to prevent and address conflict in Colombia and beyond.

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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Community Perspectives on Return and Reintegration in Cameroon and Chad

Meyha Sharma — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:41:27 +0000

This report details how communities in Cameroon and Chad perceive and assess the return and reintegration process of former associates of Boko Haram. The findings are based on a two-step qualitative research process, which included a series of interviews conducted in Mora and Igawa Mémé in Cameroon, and in Baga Sola, Bol, Magar, and Kousseri 1 in Chad, during September and October 2024. These interviews were followed by association- and gender-segregated focus group discussions where initial findings were discussed.

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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Update on the Situation of Iraqi Returnees in Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre (Formerly Jeddah-1 Centre)

Meyha Sharma — Thu, 29 May 2025 10:32:52 +0000

This brief provides an update on the latest findings from a survey and qualitative research with returnees in the Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre (formerly Jeddah-1), conducted by UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict project in November 2024.

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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Peace Without Process? Disarmament Failures and the 2018 OLF Ethiopian Government Accord

Meyha Sharma — Tue, 13 May 2025 12:58:08 +0000

This research into action report examines the collapse of the 2018 peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

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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Armed Group Responses to Climatic Shocks: A Study of FARC-EP Dissident Activities in the Colombian Amazon During an El Niño Year

Meyha Sharma — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 16:26:38 +0000

This report explores the interplay between climate shocks, human-led degradation and armed group activity in the Colombian Amazon. Focusing on the involvement of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) dissidents in deforestation activities during the 2023-2024 El Niño cycle, it examines how these groups adapted their behavior in response to climatic shifts, using El Niño as a proxy for climate change impacts.

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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Climate, Insecurity and Displacement: Triple Barriers to the Reintegration of Former Boko Haram Associates

Meyha Sharma — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:44:55 +0000

This report details how climate change, insecurity and displacement intertwine to affect the lives of people leaving Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region.

While these three issue are frequently discussed when it comes to recruitment, the details of how they affect reintegration of former associates have yet to be comprehensively addressed by research, policy and practice.

This report from the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project seeks to make reintegration programmes more effective by ensuring that they reflect the real challenges faced by former associates of Boko Haram.

The report’s findings are informed by qualitative research based on 183 interviews (84 women and 99 men) conducted between February and October 2024, in the far North region of Cameroon and the Lac Region of Chad.

Citation: Chitra Nagarajan, Francesca Batault, Siobhan O’Neil, Kato Van Broeckhoven, Remadji Hoinathy, Célestin Delanga and Douvagaï, “Climate, Insecurity and Displacement: Triple Barriers to the Reintegration of Former Boko Haram Associates”, Findings Report 42, UNIDIR, Geneva, 2025, https://doi.org/10.37559/MEAC/25/02.

Thumbnail/social media preview image: Scaling up the EU’s response to soaring hunger in West Africa by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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The Lakurawa: North West Nigeria’s ‘Newest’ Threat

Meyha Sharma — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:39:48 +0000

This latest brief from UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project provides an overview of a resurgent armed group in the North West of Nigeria, ‘the Lakurawa’.

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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Reintegrating Iraqis Returning Home After Conflict: Lessons from Variation Between Four Communities

Jack Conneely — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 08:49:49 +0000

This report examines local variation in community attitudes concerning the return and reintegration of displaced persons with perceived or actual ties to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It studies four locations: Al Qaim (Anbar governorate), Habbaniya (Anbar governorate), Tuz Khurmato (Salah al-Din governorate), and Mahalabiya (Nineveh governorate). It is based on 2022 household survey data collected by UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict programme in partnership with UNDP.

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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Banditry in Nigeria’s North West: Key Findings

Jack Conneely — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:58:55 +0000

Banditry violence is rampant in Nigeria’s North West and severely impacts the physical safety, mobility and economic opportunities of local populations. This document highlights key findings from a survey conducted in early 2024 with almost 3,000 community members mainly in and around Jibia in Katsina State, Gusau in Zamfara State and Ilella in Sokoto State,... Read more

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The Current Needs of Former Boko Haram Associates and Their Communities of Return

Jack Conneely — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:30:25 +0000

This latest brief from UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict project provides a snapshot of the current needs of former associates of Boko Haram as well as those in the communities in which they are settling, in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria.

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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Trust Matters: Community Perceptions Towards Aid Organizations in the North East of Nigeria

Jack Conneely — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:07:17 +0000

This report examines how communities perceive aid organizations in the North East of Nigeria, and what factors drive trust in them. The report looks at the differences in awareness about, experiences with and trust levels in aid organizations. The report examines whether having been with an armed group (e.g., one of the Boko Haram factions) or being a former and current affiliate of community security groups like the Civilian Joint Task Force influences perceptions of aid organizations.

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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