NGOs in internal conflicts: The case of Algeria

Abstract

Summary From the perspective of a practitioner in the Geld of conflict resolution, the author outlines the international inaction to the conflict in Algeria. The inherent difficulty for state‐based organisations and traditional diplomacy alone to adequately respond to such internal conflict is partly an explanation for this inaction. The problems to be addressed, ideally in the early stages of internal conflict, include struggles over religion, identity, and security. An expanded framework for conflict resolution in which the expertise of both state and non‐state actors are utilised in the wider framework of UN involvement is a possible prescription for these problems. Issues of state sovereignty, access, the asymmetry of conflict and the fragmentation of the conflicting parties are all analysed within the Algerian context from the perspective of the role of NGOs in multi‐track diplomacy.