This article was written by Barış Arı, Luke Abbs,and Phillip Nelson.

Using the case of Sudan and South Sudan, this paper explores the extent to which militia groups influence the likelihood of a peace agreement to succeed. The paper finds that while militia groups’ violence against the government or rebel groups can decrease the possibility of negotiation, the militia groups’ violence against civilians can increase the likelihood of negotiations to take place. The paper provides a set of recommendations for the international community to facilitate peace talks despite the impact of the militia groups’ violence.  

Read the article here.