Engaging with armed groups - Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

Engaging with armed groups6 ConclusionsThere are few areas of a mediation in which so many variablescome into play as engaging with armed groups. A mediator’swillingness and capacity to establish contacts and work witharmed groups will be a question of both art and opportunity.An ability to do so may be rooted in the identity of the mediator– some will be more affected by concerns regarding engagingwith those perceived or listed as “terrorists” than others – but willalso encompass other elements. These include the unpredictableand, at times, opaque nature of the armed groups and theircapacity for, and interest in, engaging with external third parties,as well as the positions and attitudes adopted by the stateactors concerned.Engagement with armed groups carries with it a variety ofchallenges and risks. Yet, when managed carefully and responsibly,its potential benefits far outweigh the costs of not engaging –and letting the conflict take its toll on civilian victims. The varietyof options for engagement militates against a rejection of initialcontacts solely because the maximum demands of a group areunacceptable. At the point of initial contact what is relevant is notso much what these end-stage demands might be, but whetherengagement may lead to a substantive exchange on the issuesat hand, opening the door to the possibility of future peace.35