Co-authored by Véronique Dudouet, Johanna-Maria Hülzer, Gyda Sindre, Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs and Jacqui Cho and co-published by the Politics After War Network (PAW), Folke Bernadotte Academy and Berghof Foundation.
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This report offers practical guidance for mediators and peace support actors working in today’s complex and evolving conflict environments. Drawing on case-based insights, it examines how peace processes can support the transition of non-state armed groups from armed struggle to peaceful political participation. It situates these efforts within a changing global context marked by conflict fragmentation that challenge established assumptions about peacemaking. The report argues that political inclusion remains essential for sustainable peace if approaches are adapted to context-specific realities. It concludes with concrete recommendations and tools to help practitioners navigate contemporary challenges and support inclusive conflict transformation.
This report was inspired by discussions that took place at three workshops during 2024–2025, organised by the Politics After War (PAW) research network, the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), and the Berghof Foundation, in collaboration with swisspeace and the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) section at the Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations (UN). The first workshop was held in Basel in May 2024 and brought together experts from the research and practice communities to discuss peace mediation, rebel-to-party transitions, and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR). It reflected on the experiences of past and ongoing peace processes, notably in Colombia, Sudan and the Philippines, and addressed the long-term trajectory of the political integration of non-state armed groups after war. The second workshop was held in Brussels during the annual meeting of the EU Community of Practice on Mediation in October 2024, and addressed the challenges and opportunities of negotiating political integration in an era of both new conflict patterns and new norms and practices of peacemaking. The third workshop was held at the Stockholm Forum for Peace and Development in May 2025 and brought together for comparative exchange mediation experts with experience of three challenging contexts for peace mediation: the Sahel, Syria and Myanmar.
Politics After War 