Conflicts frequently have no winner, and in some cases do not end with a peace agreement. Even where a peace agreement is in place, it is invariably fragile. The transition from war to peace is a complex and long-term process. For every two steps forward, there is likely to be a step back. Peace-building seldom progresses in a linear manner.
Societies emerging from war are quite fragile.
When an armed conflict has drawn to a close, the ethnic, class, religious or regional differences that fed the war persist. As a result, communities may be deeply divided and the threat of renewed violence omnipresent. Reconciliation is often a distant reality. Even where the population has not been the deliberate target of forced displacement, the physical and economic chaos of war invariably produces large numbers of displaced, destitute, and vulnerable people. When the armed conflict comes to an end, those people have to re-establish their livelihoods, rebuild their communities, and learn to live together once again.