Publication

This paper addresses the question of humanitarian engagement with the nonstate armed groups that increasingly populate the zones in which humanitarian action takes place. In particular, the author examines why some combatants react positively and consistently to humanitarian demands to meet access preconditions, while others respond erratically, decline to respond or are hostile. He looks at the various types of nonstate armed groups with which negotiations are likely to be conducted in order to determine the parameters of responsible humanitarian engagement.