Justice during armed conflict: A new dataset on government and rebel strategies

The authors present the During-Conflict Justice (DCJ) dataset, which catalogues 2,205 justice processes across 204 internal armed conflicts in 108 countries between 1946 and 2011. The research identifies that DCJ is a common tool, appearing in over 60% of conflicts since WWII, with governments being the primary adopters (70.4%). The study finds that democratic governments are more likely to use DCJ, particularly trials, truth commissions, and reparations, compared to autocracies. Rebel groups tend to use DCJ more frequently when fighting democracies and as their own relative military strength increases. Analysis suggests that government-initiated DCJ is correlated with a reduction in battle deaths in the following year and a higher likelihood of the conflict ending in a negotiated settlement rather than a military victory.

• The During-Conflict Justice (DCJ) dataset covers 2,205 justice processes across 204 internal armed conflicts in 108 countries from 1946 to 2011, revealing that over 60 percent of conflicts since the Second World War included at least one DCJ process.
• Governments are the dominant users of DCJ, initiating 70.4% of all processes, while rebel groups are responsible for 10.3%. Rebels are more likely to employ trials, purges, and amnesties than capacity-intensive processes like reparations and truth commissions.
• Democratic governments are more likely to utilize DCJ than anocracies or autocracies, particularly in the use of trials, truth commissions, and reparations to investigate and remedy wrongdoings involving civilians.
• The use of trials has increased significantly since 1946, with a notable rise in the mid-1990s that exceeds the overall increase in the number of ongoing armed conflicts, aligning with the 'justice cascade' theory.
• There is an inverse relationship between rebel strength and government DCJ use; as rebels become stronger, government use of DCJ decreases. Conversely, rebel use of DCJ increases as they gain strength and capacity.
• Government-initiated DCJ is associated with a decrease in conflict intensity; 38% of conflict years with government DCJ saw a reduction in battle deaths the following year, compared to 19% for years without such processes.
• The likelihood of a conflict ending in a negotiated settlement doubles when the government initiates at least one DCJ process, while the likelihood of a military victory decreases from 37% to 23%.

APA

Loyle, C. E., & Binningsbø, H. M. (n.d.). Justice during armed conflict: A new dataset on government and rebel strategies. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6b139e81-28a9-4f2f-92e6-ac563715f2a1/Justice during Armed Conflict A New Dataset on Government and Rebel Strategies.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Loyle, Cyanne E., and Helga Malmin Binningsbø. Justice during armed conflict: A new dataset on government and rebel strategies. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6b139e81-28a9-4f2f-92e6-ac563715f2a1/Justice during Armed Conflict A New Dataset on Government and Rebel Strategies.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Loyle |first1=Cyanne E. |last2=Binningsbø |first2=Helga Malmin |title=Justice during armed conflict: A new dataset on government and rebel strategies |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6b139e81-28a9-4f2f-92e6-ac563715f2a1/Justice during Armed Conflict A New Dataset on Government and Rebel Strategies.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{loylendjustice, author = {Loyle, Cyanne E. and Binningsbø, Helga Malmin}, title = {{Justice during armed conflict: A new dataset on government and rebel strategies}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6b139e81-28a9-4f2f-92e6-ac563715f2a1/Justice during Armed Conflict A New Dataset on Government and Rebel Strategies.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }