Peace processes are paradoxically often very dangerous times. The silencing of guns
leaves security vacuums between and within communities mobilized for conflict.
The transition from active war to political settlement and implementation leaves
combatant organizations vulnerable to attack by opponents, and it also leaves their
leadership vulnerable to internal challengers – hardliners who accuse leaders of weakness
and capitulation, criminal elements who increase illicit activities when they cannot be
disciplined, or local communities newly empowered to voice criticism because they are
less subject to the repressive tactics armed groups inevitably use to maintain order and
discipline during a conflict. As a result, many forms of violence spike during a peace
process.