Unarmed civilian protection and community self-protection in authoritarian contexts

In authoritarian and dictatorial regimes, where state control is pervasive and dissent is suppressed, the protection of civilians becomes highly complex. Governments in these contexts often use fear, surveillance, and repression to maintain power, leaving communities vulnerable to state violence, harassment, and human rights abuses, particularly in areas of armed conflict. Additionally, civilians can be subjected to violence from non-state armed groups or caught in the crossfire between state security forces and armed opposition groups. In these environments, traditional civilian protection forms, including the involvement of state security forces or international intervention, may be ineffective or actively dangerous. State security forces are often themselves responsible for violence against civilians, while international non-governmental organisations involved in civilian protection can be banned. Instead, alternative protection methods, notably community self-protection, emerge as crucial strategies. This chapter discusses the successes and obstacles encountered in the implementation of community self-protection within authoritarian contexts in Cameroon and Thailand. In Cameroon, an electoral autocracy, armed separatist groups in the English-speaking regions have waged a secessionist struggle against the Francophone-dominated state since September 2017, with civilian populations subjected to violence from both the military and the armed separatist groups. In Southern Thailand, the human rights crisis has worsened as the military junta has tightened its grip in the conflict zones in the southern border provinces. The dictatorship has increasingly persecuted critics and dissenters, banned peaceful protests, censored the media, suppressed free speech in the press and online, and been responsible for arbitrary arrest, torture, and extrajudicial killings. This has led to a sense of insecurity among the people, leading some to join separatist forces because they lack the knowledge to protect themselves without weapons. The research emphasizes the agency of local populations that have traditionally been marginalized in peacebuilding initiatives, especially in the realm of enhancing community security.