Disaggregating Rebellion: Mid-level Commanders in Hierarchical Non-state Armed Organizations

Existing research demonstrates the central role of mid-level commanders as either spoilers or leaders of peace but treats this group as unitary, defined by its communication function in hierarchical non-state armed organizations. Drawing on life history interviews with ‘middle managers’ (mandos medios) of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), this article explores heterogeneity of mid-level commanders. Individuals follow multiple trajectories into mid-level roles. The nature of their roles depends on their specific position and the needs of the organization. As a result, they develop diverse skills, status, and ties that differently position them for post-war influence, from leading to spoiling peace. These elements underlie a processual approach that focuses on these actors’ process of ‘becoming,’ boundaries of their position, and how their wartime roles fit in their post-war trajectories. A provisional typology drawing on this approach helps better understand mid-level commanders’ varied, and contradictory, post-war influence.