Lessons from mediating with criminal armed groups

Contemporary armed conflicts are increasingly shaped by the convergence of political violence, organised crime, and transnational illicit economies. Recent research highlights how the traditional distinction between “political” and “criminal” armed actors has become increasingly blurred. In many contexts, criminal armed groups exercise territorial control, provide forms of governance and protection, and influence local political and economic orders, while remaining deeply embedded in illicit markets. In parallel, political and economic elites in a number of conflict contexts have become increasingly intertwined with illicit economies. 

Technological change, globalization, and transnational financial networks have also strengthened the resilience of war economies and transformed the incentives sustaining violence. These evolutions have major implications for mediation practice. Peace processes increasingly unfold in fragmented environments involving multiple armed actors, informal power structures, criminal networks, and competing external interests. Mediators face new procedural challenges: how to engage actors labelled as “criminal” without legitimizing violence; navigate legal and political constraints; address illicit economies that sustain conflict; and maintain credible, inclusive, and adaptive negotiation frameworks. 

This round table will explore how mediation processes are being reshaped by these realities. It will examine practical adaptations, including the role of informal channels, community intermediaries, regional actors, and flexible multi-level dialogue mechanisms. It will also discuss whether contemporary mediation must move beyond traditional state-centric and binary approaches to address the complex political economies underpinning today’s armed violence.

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