The Role of Non-State Armed Groups in Food Systems in Crisis: A Comparison of Haiti and Somalia

Violent conflict is the primary driver of food crises worldwide. However, our understanding of the specific role non-state armed groups (NSAGs) play in food systems in crisis remains incomplete. There is limited evidence on how non-state armed groups interact with food systems, including through forms of (non-)violent regulation and oversight; where armed groups intersect with different stages of the food value chain, beyond production alone; and comparative analysis of NSAGs across diverse contexts, security environments and food systems. This study addresses these gaps through comparative analysis of NSAG food system engagement in Haiti and South-Central Somalia. The study draws on primary, qualitative data collection in both contexts and presents an analysis of NSAGs as heretofore neglected food system stakeholders. We find that NSAGs are active at every stage of the food system; that this activity is often systematic in nature; and that NSAG engagement shares a number of commonalities across Haiti and Somalia, despite the very different contexts. In identifying this, we make several contributions, including i) advancing research on conflict and hunger to highlight precise mechanisms by which violent actors disrupt and shape food systems; ii) contributing to research on rebel and criminal governance by highlighting a heretofore relatively neglected domain of armed actor governance (food systems); and iii) building on case study research on crises and conflict by undertaking comparative analysis that contributes to a growing body of work that challenges the rebel-criminal governance binary.