Organised crime groups & peace processes

El SalvadorColombiaJamaicaMaliKosovo

1 Jun

Written By Brian Lucas

Project Completed

PROJECT TEAM

Huma Haider

Independent research consultant

Contact: huma@humahaider.com

Huma Haider is an independent research consultant and international lawyer, with over 15 years of experience producing policy relevant research and guidance for international development advisors. She is a former Research Fellow at the GSDRC, International Development Department, University of Birmingham. Her research areas centre on transitional justice in divided societies, coexistence, reconciliation, conflict sensitivity, international humanitarian law, and the role of diaspora and refugee communities in peacebuilding. Her geographic area of focus is the Western Balkans, specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has also worked as a lawyer in the Prosecutor’s Office of the War Crimes Chamber in Sarajevo.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Organised crime actors can be spoilers in peace processes or partners in peace. Negotiating with organised crime groups and addressing criminal agendas in peace processes has become a reality in practice. It may be preferable in contexts where repressive tactics have failed to resolve the problem or worse, have fuelled more violence and criminality. Out of options, state actors have turned to negotiation. Negotiation may not only be considered preferable, but also necessary where criminal groups have strong territorial control, filling governance gaps and gaining legitimacy. International peace operations have also begun to recognise the need to address SOC to avoid entrenching criminal structures in the post-conflict state. There is, however, limited guidance and research on these strategies and processes. A siloed approach to research and practice has contributed in large part to this deficiency.

This research project seeks to address this gap in research on addressing SOC, and negotiating with criminal actors, during peace processes—in situations of urban violence and civil wars. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on literature spanning political science, criminology, peace and conflict studies, terrorism, non-state armed groups (NSAGs), disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), transitional justice, and international law. It demonstrates the importance of creating a framework for engaging with SOC and criminal groups that extends beyond confrontation, allowing for accommodation, and incorporating a wider societal change agenda through transformation. This requires an understanding of when to address SOC and engage criminal groups in peace processes; how to motivate actors to come to the negotiating table, conclude and implement deals; how to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes; and how to mitigate risks associated with negotiation. The research aims to provide insights into these crucial questions. Answers will of course vary across contexts and will need to be strengthened with further research and policy lesson-learning.

Expected impact: The research aims to deepen the evidence base on addressing SOC and criminal agendas, and negotiating with SOC actors, in peace processes. It seeks to encourage further collaboration across academic disciplines and professional silos, integrating SOC into the full range of peacemaking activities and vice versa.