Goodbye is the hardest part: why is ending violence so difficult for non-state armed groups?

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For groups involved in long-running non-international armed conflicts, the decision to end the use of violence poses significant challenges – even when it is no longer recognized to be an “effective” means of achieving organizational objectives.

In this post, independent researcher Dr Thomas Evans argues that exploring the cultural perspectives, influences, and identities within non-state armed groups and their members is vital to understanding the continued usage of, and disengagement from, political violence.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ICRC.

From Islamist groups in south Thailand, to the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in eastern India, despite seemingly little chance of organizational objectives being achieved through violent means, non-state armed groups often find it difficult to give up the gun. Even in instances where groups do leave violence behind, there remains the strong risk of organizational splinters, with those opposed to the decision forming new groups which may continue to use armed action.

To unpack the challenges of, and solutions for, disengagement among non-state armed groups, we must consider the cultural influences which underpin how members understand themselves and their organizations.

Leaving violence behind

In the past decade, the world has witnessed a remarkably sudden end to a number of long-running, seemingly intractable, non-international armed conflicts.

In 2017, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP) ceased over 53 years of armed action against the Colombian State – reforming as the political party Commons. Just one year later, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) disbanded after almost 60 years of violence against the Spanish State in its efforts to create an independent Basque country. The same year, Óglaigh na hÉireann (ONH), a post-conflict armed group active in Northern Ireland since 2009, enacted its own ceasefire. While, most recently, on 12th May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that it was in the process of formally disbanding its organizational structures – ending a conflict against the Turkish State it has been engaged in for 47 years.