A rebel armed group with a distinct identity, leadership, and structure that operates in an insurgency context. Its members are typically closed to outsiders and often rely on clandestine mobilisation. They may use public violence to frighten or draw attention to themselves and their cause.
Historically, insurgency groups are usually formed by disillusioned guerrilla veterans or elements of rival revolutionary partisans (as the M-19 in Colombia was). They tend to have a narrowly defined membership and are less inclusive than those with’movement’ origins. They are also more likely to have a’sectarian’ character due to their idiosyncratic – for the political context – ideological discourse.
They are also characterized by the presence of urban constituencies. These are the ‘publics on the fringes’ that insurgents must engage with in order to win support and legitimacy for their cause. They can be the ‘hidden audiences’ of propaganda, or they can be local businesses and cultural events that can play an important socialisation/politicisation role by breaking insurgents into broader networks beyond their personal circles.
Finally, they are often multipolar in character, with multiple insurgent factions operating alongside a recognised government (as the Angolan Civil War did with two sides: MPLA and UNITA). They may also be multi-ethnic (like al-Shabaab).
It is difficult for insurgent groups to remain coherent when their organisational structures change. For example, the LTTE’s shift from an insurgent to conventional strategy during its final battles in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the fact that it had become too successful and powerful. It had a wealth of resources (accumulated from 2002 to 2006, when it effectively ran a semi-independent state), a massive military, and strong nationalistic support. This made it reluctant to revert to an insurgency strategy, and thus vulnerable to defeat by a superior government.