ABSTRACT
Most major armed conflicts are internal civil wars, involving one or more armed groups fighting either government forces or other armed groups, or both. Even in the few ongoing, international armed conflicts, non-state armed groups are a major feature of the battlefield. The state on whose territory an armed group operates is bound to be sensitive to any recognition, official or otherwise, accorded to insurgent groups on its territory. This chapter looks at definitions of armed groups and provides a background to elaborate on the present international environment that conditions ongoing engagements today with armed groups. It attempts to identify some of the factors that distinguish a human rights engagement with an armed group, and that may either help or hinder conflict resolution efforts. The chapter suggests factors that ought to be considered in determining how best to advance human rights concerns armed groups in conflict resolution processes.
