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Violence Against Civilians: A Disaggregated Analysis

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  • Clionadh Raleigh

Abstract

Disaggregated approaches to conflict research have led to new insights into the patterns and processes of political violence in developing countries. This article uses the most comprehensive subnational political violence data (ACLED) to observe where and when violence against civilians occurs within civil wars. Several new conclusions are evident from an event-based analysis of civilian violence: retribution or collateral damage are poor explanations for attacks on the unarmed. Instead, civilians are targeted because they are accessible; rebel groups kill more civilians, often in an attempt to create new frontlines for conflict. However, governments are also responsible for high rates of civilian death, yet they often “contract” this violence out to militias. This analysis confirms that there are multiple violent groups within civil war spaces, and small opposition groups commit higher levels of violence against civilians in local spaces. The strength of a violent group compared to its competition shapes how much civilian violence it commits. The results suggest that theories that emphasize civilian support and retribution as a basis for violence against civilians have overlooked the importance of how multiple violent opposition groups compete within civil wars, and how civilians suffer as a result.

Suggested Citation

  • Clionadh Raleigh, 2012. "Violence Against Civilians: A Disaggregated Analysis," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(4), pages 462-481, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:ginixx:v:38:y:2012:i:4:p:462-481
    DOI: 10.1080/03050629.2012.697049
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    Cited by:

    1. Clionadh Raleigh & Roudabeh Kishi & Andrew Linke, 2023. "Political instability patterns are obscured by conflict dataset scope conditions, sources, and coding choices," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. David Ubilava & Justin V. Hastings & Kadir Atalay, 2023. "Agricultural windfalls and the seasonality of political violence in Africa," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(5), pages 1309-1332, October.
    3. Martin Ottmann, 2017. "Rebel constituencies and rebel violence against civilians in civil conflicts," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 34(1), pages 27-51, January.
    4. Timothy Allen Carter & Daniel Jay Veale, 2015. "The timing of conflict violence: Hydraulic behavior in the Ugandan civil war," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 32(4), pages 370-394, September.
    5. Justin Hastings & David Ubilava, 2023. "Agricultural Roots of Social Conflict in Southeast Asia," Papers 2304.10027, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2024.
    6. Piotr Lis & Michael Spagat & Uih Ran Lee, 2021. "Civilian targeting in African conflicts: A poor actor’s game that spreads through space," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 58(5), pages 900-914, September.
    7. Ore Koren, 2017. "Means to an end: Pro-government militias as a predictive indicator of strategic mass killing1," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 34(5), pages 461-484, September.
    8. Paola Palacios & Germán Lambardi, 2020. "Títulos colectivos, violencia contra civiles y conflicto armado interno en Colombia," Revista Economía y Región, Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, vol. 14(2), pages 1-14, December.
    9. de Juan, Alexander, 2012. "Mapping Political Violence – The Approaches and Conceptual Challenges of Subnational Geospatial Analyses of Intrastate Conflict," GIGA Working Papers 211, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.

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