Wikipedia

List of rebel groups that control territory

This is a list of active rebel groups that control territory around the world whose domains may be subnational, transnational, or international. A "rebel group" is defined here as a polity that uses armed conflict in opposition to established government (or governments) for reasons such as to seek political change or to establish, maintain, or to gain independence. Groups that "control territory" are defined as any group that hold any populated or inhabited city, town, village, hamlet, or defined area that is either directly administered by the group or under its military control. Such control may be contested and might be temporary or fluctuating, especially under the circumstance of conflict.

It does not include the governments of stable breakaway states or other states with limited recognition.

Within state Rebel group Conflict Control
since		 Territory controlled Notes Leader Headquarters
JNIM 2006
Affiliate of Al-Qaeda Iyad Ag Ghaly Tinzaouaten (Mali)[7]
 Somalia Al-Shabaab (Islamic Wilayat of Somalia) Somali Civil War 2008 Large parts of southern and central Somalia[8] Affiliate of Al-Qaeda since 2012 Ahmed Diriye Jilib (Somalia)[9]
 Palestine Hamas Hamas (Administration in Gaza) Fatah–Hamas conflict 2007 Parts of the Gaza Strip Khalil al-Hayya Gaza City
Palestine Popular Forces (Administration in Gaza) Popular Forces–Hamas conflict 2024 Eastern Rafah Governorate and parts of Khan Yunis[10] Opposed to Hamas, backed by Israel Ghassan Duhine Al-Bayuk
 Nigeria Boko Haram (territory) Boko Haram insurgency Nigerian bandit conflict 2009 Parts of Borno and Kaduna States[11] Abu Umaimata Chikun[12][13]
Ansaru 2012 Parts of Northwest Nigeria[14] Split from Boko Haram in 2012 Abu Jafa'ar Unknown
Islamic State Islamic State 2015
Democratic Republic of the Congo Parts of North Kivu and Ituri provinces[22][23][24]		 Designated a terrorist organization by the UN[25] Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi Unknown
 Nigeria Republic of Biafra Indigenous People of Biafra Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria 2021 Parts of the former Republic of Biafra[26][27][28] The ESN is the IPOB's armed wing.[28][26] Nnamdi Kanu Nkwerre (alleged)[28]
 Cameroon Ambazonia Ambazonia Anglophone Crisis 2017 Parts of Northwest Region (Cameroon) and Southwest Region (Cameroon)[29][30] Various factions and militant groups Unknown
 Central African Republic Central African Republic Coalition of Patriots for Change[31][32] Central African Republic Civil War 2020 Parts of Central African Republic[31] Coalition of multiple groups including Anti-balaka,[31] 3R, and MPC[32] François Bozizé[31][32] N'Djamena, Chad[33]
 Mali Azawad Liberation Front[34] (Territory) Mali War 2024 Large parts of northern Mali[35] Alghabass Ag Intalla Kidal
DR Congo Mai-Mai Kivu conflict 2003 Parts of northeastern DRC[36] Various groups Various leaders Depends on group
March 23 Movement 2012 Parts of North Kivu and South Kivu[37] Bertrand Bisimwa Unknown
Nduma Defense of Congo-Renouveau 2015 Parts of North Kivu[38] Shimiray Mwissa Guidon Pinga
Zaire Zaïre-FPAC 2020 Ituri Province Zawadi Vajeru Unknown
CNPSC 2017 South Kivu and Maniema William Yakutumba Unknown
CODECO 1999 Ituri Province Ali Ngadjole Ngabu Djugu territory
Mobondo Western DR Congo clashes 2022 Western DRC Odon Nkimona Kumbu Kwamouth
 Ethiopia Fano Fano insurgency 2023 Parts of the Amhara Region[39] Major Fano factions merged into Amhara Fano National Movement in 2026 Zemene Kassie Unknown
 Libya Libyan National Army Libyan crisis 2014 Most of eastern Libya[40] Nominally loyal to the Government of National Stability Khalifa Haftar Tobruk
 Myanmar Kachin Independence Army 1960s Parts of Kachin State[41] Armed wing of Kachin Independence Organisation N'Ban La Laiza
People's Defence Force 2021 Parts of Sagaing Region[42] Armed wing of National Unity Government Duwa Lashi La Unknown
MNDAA 1989 Parts of northern Shan State Armed wing of Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party Peng Daxun Laukkai
Karenni IEC 2021 Parts of Kayah State Khun Oo Reh Unknown
Chinland Parts of northern Chin State[43] Pu Zing Cung Camp Victoria
Karen National Liberation Army Karen National Defence Organisation 1947/1949 Parts of Kayin State[44][45] Armed wings of Karen National Union Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win Lay Wah
Ta'ang National Liberation Army 1992 Parts of northern Shan State Armed wing of Palaung State Liberation Front Namhsan
Chin Brotherhood 2023 Parts of southern Chin State Unknown
Arakan Army 2009 Most of Rakhine State Armed wing of United League of Arakan Twan Mrat Naing Unknown
Wa State 1989 Parts of northern and southern Shan State De facto independent state Bao Youxiang Pangkham
Shan State Progress Party 1971 Parts of central Shan State Wan Hai, Kehsi Township
Shan State Army (RCSS) 1996 Parts of southern Shan State Armed wing of Restoration Council of Shan State Yawd Serk Loi Tai Leng
Pa-O National Liberation Organisation 2024 Parts of southeastern Shan State
  • Khun Thurein
  • Khun Kyaw Htin
 Camp Laybwer, Mawkmai Township
Pa-O National Army 1949 Parts of southwestern Shan State Armed wing of Pa-O National Organisation Aung Kham Hti Hopong
National Democratic Alliance Army 1989 Parts of eastern Shan State Armed wing of Peace and Solidarity Committee Mong La
Karen National Army 2024 Near Myawaddy, Kayin State Saw Chit Thu Shwe Kokko
 Senegal Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance Casamance conflict 1982 Parts of Casamance[46] Unknown
 Sudan SPLM–N (New Sudan) Sudanese civil war 2023 Parts of southern Sudan[47] Abdelaziz al-Hilu Kauda[48]
Rapid Support Forces (Government of Peace and Unity) 2023 Southern and western Sudan Hemedti Nyala, Sudan
Syria Druze Administrative Council of Jabal Bashan Aftermath of the Syrian civil war 2025 Most of Suwayda Governorate Hikmat al-Hijri Suwayda
 Yemen Houthis Houthis Yemeni civil war 2004 Houthi-controlled Yemen: most of former North Yemen, parts of South Yemen[49] Controls the SPC[50] Mahdi al-Mashat Sa'dah
AQAP 2009 Parts of Shabwah and Abyan governorates Affiliate of Al-Qaeda Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki Unknown

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 State controls just 60 percent of Burkina Faso: ECOWAS mediator, 18 June 2022
  2. ↑ "Speaking with the "Bad Guys": Toward Dialogue with Central Mali's Jihadists" (PDF). 28 May 2019. While the Malian army controls towns and their immediate vicinity, the jihadists rule the countryside, erecting checkpoints on rural roads and patrolling rivers
  3. ↑ https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2026/04/27/mali-s-junta-more-vulnerable-than-ever-after-weekend-attacks_6752867_124.html#
  4. ↑ New frontlines: Jihadist expansion is reshaping the Benin, Niger, and Nigeria borderlands, 27 March 2025
  5. ↑ Suspected Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) Militants Take Over a Military Base in Boni, Torodi Department, Tillabéri Region, Niger, 15 May 2025
  6. ↑ Brief: Togo Resurfaces as Conflict Zone After JNIM Overruns Border Military Base, 21 August 2024
  7. ↑ Pellerin, Mathieu (November 2019). "Armed violence in the Sahara" (PDF).
  8. ↑ Osman, Jamal (15 June 2022). "Inside Al Shabaab". Channel4. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Somalia: Al-Shabaab Leaders Split Over Funds Control". AllAfrica. 27 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Macales, Ben Tzion (3 June 2025). "מפת שליטה עדכנית של כוחות צה"ל ברצועת עזה - 09.06.2025" [Current control map of IDF forces in the Gaza Strip - 09.06.2025.]. X (in Hebrew). Ben Tzion Macales. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "DSS: Boko Haram relocating from Sambisa forest to Kaduna". 15 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Leaked DSS memo shows fleeing Boko Haram terrorists are moving to Kaduna". Legit.ng. 15 September 2021.
  14. ↑ Nigerian bandit conflict
  15. ↑ Mémier, Marc (January 2017). AQMI et Al-Mourabitoun : le djihad sahélien réunifié? (PDF). Études de l’Ifri (in French). Institut français des relations internationales. p. 54. ISBN 978-2-36567-661-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  16. ↑ "Winning Peace in Mozambique's Embattled North". 10 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Violent Extremism in the Sahel | Global Conflict Tracker". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  18. ↑ "Economics of terrorism in Lake Chad Basin". 10 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "Several killed in fight between Boko Haram, ISWAP members". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. 20 January 2020.
  20. ↑ Haruna, Abdulkareem (30 June 2022). "ISWAP Still Controls Vast Areas of Guzamala In Northeast". HumAngle.
  21. ↑ "Letter dated 1 November 2019 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF). 1 November 2019. p. 84.
  22. ↑ Jihadists attack a Chinese-owned gold mine along the Ituri river. April 21, 2026
  23. ↑ ISCAP expands attacks in the DRC, claims killing six congolese soldiers May 5, 2026
  24. ↑ ISCAP seizes territory during Kivu power vacuum caused by M23 rebels 18 June 2025
  25. ↑ "Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Amends Entry". United Nations. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  26. 1 2 Joe Ubasinachi Eke (8 July 2025). "IPOB, Marginalization, and the Nigerian State: A Historical and Contemporary Examination of Conflict, Repression, and Demands for Self-determination". Iconsnews. Family Writers Press International. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  27. ↑ Chinwe Onuigbo (9 February 2026). "IPOB Orders End to Monday Sit-at-Home Across South-East". Voice of Nigeria. Awka. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  28. 1 2 3 "Troops Crush Suspected IPOB/ESN Stronghold in Anambra". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  29. ↑ Ambazonian rebel factions escalate attacks 4 October 2018
  30. ↑ Ambazonian rebels escalate the guerilla campaign April 2, 2024
  31. 1 2 3 4 "CAR says ex-president attempting 'coup' as rebels form coalition". 19 December 2020.
  32. 1 2 3 "François Bozizé: CAR accuses former president of 'attempted coup'". BBC.co.uk/News. BBC. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  33. ↑ François Bozizé et d'autres chefs rebelles centrafricains se trouvent à Ndjamena, 7 November 2021
  34. ↑ Mali 2026 offensive and FLA insurgency April 28, 2026
  35. ↑ Attacks in Mali and FLA expansion 26 April 2026
  36. ↑ [dead link]
  37. ↑ Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro; Justin Kabumba (13 June 2022). "Congo military accuses Rwanda of invasion; rebels seize town". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  38. ↑ "NDC-R: Congo's Contract Militia Which "Killed" FDLR's Gen Sylvestre Mudacumura". 15 May 2020.
  39. ↑ "Ethiopia's Ominous New War in Amhara". 16 November 2023.
  40. ↑ "Libya parliament suspends rival eastern-based PM Bashagha". 16 May 2023.
  41. ↑ "Burma attack breaks Kachin truce near China border". BBC. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2014. The rebels are seeking greater autonomy within Burma for ethnic Kachins who have had de facto control over a part of northern Burma for more than 50 years.
  42. ↑ Myanmar's civilian president claims resistance controls nearly half the country, 10 May 2022
  43. ↑ "Resistance to the Myanmar regime in Chin state – a photo essay". The Guardian. 24 January 2022.
  44. ↑ "Six die in Myanmar Air Strikes on Karen Villages Near the Thai Border". 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  45. ↑ "Myanmar army launches air strikes in Karen state, group says". Reuters. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  46. ↑ WESTWOOD: DEALING IN CONFLICT TIMBER, March 2020
  47. ↑ "Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF)" (PDF). Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) for Sudan and South Sudan. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014. Corresponding to the SPLM-N's dominant role, the SRF's locus of control resides in its bastion in Kaoda, and the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan. Military activity is most prevalent in South Kordofan but extends to Blue Nile and into South Sudan's border states.
  48. ↑ Casey, Nicholas; Saman, Moises (8 August 2024). "Inside the Mountain Stronghold of an Elusive Rebel Movement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  49. ↑ Al-Haj, Ahmed (2 June 2015). "Houthi Rebels Take Over Yemen's Government". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  50. ↑ "Yemen rebels form rival government". Qantara.de. Deutsche Welle. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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