Non-state armed group transition to party politics

Non-state armed groups (NSAGs) are armed entities operating outside of the control of the state (p. 1) that are willing and able to use illegal armed forces to achieve their goals. Such goals may be political, economic, or ideological in nature and are, in the broadest sense, attempts to influence political outcomes and drive social change outside the boundaries of established institutions of the state. It is the highly political nature of the NSAGs' claims, however, that often makes the resolution of any conflict in which such actors are involved more likely to emerge from political agreements than military defeat (European Union External Action, 2012).