According to Christopher Clapham, insurgencies are like quasi-states themselves. Most insurgent movements frequently meet the criteria of statehood; the most basic one is physical control over territory and population.
For example:
The Taliban in Southern Afghanistan.
Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in Eastern Ukraine
Polisario Front in Western Sahara
Insurgencies have foreign policies and diplomatic services as this adds to achieving military and political goals.
For example:
NTC during Libyan Civil War
UNITA, FNLA, MPLA in Angolan War of Independence
FRELIMO in Mozambican War of Independence
SNC during the Syrian Civil War
In times of conflict, insurgencies are also recipients of international aid by NGOs.
For example:
During the Nigerian Civil War against Biafra regime, not only did NGOs provide food and medicine for the insurgencies, but also helped in the fields of external publicity and communications.
During the Syrian Civil War, the NGO, White Helmets supported Syrian opposition.
Usually whoever controls the capital city of the country or territory usually means that they represent the country and international community will recognised them as the sole legitimate authority of the country. However guerrilla insurgencies control the countryside which is the source of economic resources. Thus the actual location of both military and economic power is changed. Therefore most of the times, insurgencies are in control of informal/black markets.
For Example:
Drug/narcotics are used to fund operations for insurgencies in Latin America and Asia.
Diamonds are used as source of funding for insurgencies in African states like Liberia and Sierra Leone. The movie Blood Diamond gives an accurate account about Insurgencies and its finances operations.
Liberation insurgencies are regarded as more legitimate than the governments which they opposed and have greater international recognition.
For example:
Wars of Independence in Africa.
However if they not liberation insurgencies, the ‘government’ has more access to external aid, enter into alliances and call for a commitment of troops from its allies for defence, whereas the ‘rebels’ have limited access.
For example:
The Philippines are supported by USA and Australia against an Islamic insurgency.
Uganda is supported by South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and USA against the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency.
Iraq is supported by many countries against ISIL
Due to the end of Cold War, instead regarding a party as representing the state, all parties are all on equal footing and should form a coalition government to represent the state.
For example:
Successful results: Angola and Mozambique — Both countries transformed from a one-party communist state to a multi-party democracy after their Civil Wars.
In the process — Afghanistan, where Nato-backed Afghan government is trying to talk to the Taliban.
This seems to be current trend when the UN or any other body or other state(s) tries to mediate and end the conflict where states have insurgencies.However there are some exceptions that after the Cold War, where insurgencies have managed to gain independence — East Timor in 1999 and South Sudan in 2011.
