For former soldiers trying to reintegrate into society, staying in contact with their old army friends actually increases their chance of being murdered.
March 31, 2026
Original Paper
Surviving Peace: What Kills Ex-Combatants after Armed Conflict
SSRN · 6469098
The Takeaway
While we usually view social support from former colleagues as a protective safety net, for ex-combatants, these ties act as a target. These connections keep their past identities visible to enemies and make them easier targets for assassination or recruitment back into violent criminal circles.
From the abstract
While demobilizing armed groups is a key pathway to peace, demobilized combatants often face continued violence. What kills ex-combatants? We argue that relations formed during war drive violence against ex-combatants. Continued exposure to former comrades after demobilization sustains connections that facilitate criminal reengagement and undermine legal reintegration by increasing the visibility of ex-combatants' past and related stigma. Our analysis focuses on Colombia, leveraging data on all