Legal Definitions - insurgent

An insurgent is an individual who uses armed force or violence with the specific aim of challenging, destabilizing, or overthrowing an existing government, driven by political motivations.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Example 1: Regional Autonomy Movement
  In a fictional country, a minority ethnic group feels marginalized by the central government and seeks greater autonomy for their region. A faction within this group forms an armed militia, engaging in sporadic clashes with government security forces and attacking local administrative buildings. The individuals participating in these armed actions are considered insurgents because they are using armed hostility (clashes and attacks) against the established government (the central authority) for a political purpose (achieving regional autonomy).

• Example 2: Post-Coup Resistance
  Following a military coup that overthrows a democratically elected government, a group of loyalists to the former regime refuses to accept the new military junta. They retreat to remote areas, organize themselves into armed units, and launch guerrilla attacks against the new government's outposts and patrols, aiming to restore the previous leadership. The members of these armed units are insurgents because they are engaging in armed hostility (guerrilla attacks) against the newly established government (the military junta) with the political purpose of reversing the coup and restoring the old order.

• Example 3: Ideological Revolutionaries
  A clandestine group, driven by a radical political ideology, believes the current government is corrupt and oppressive. They conduct targeted bombings of government infrastructure, such as communication towers and police stations, and engage in armed confrontations with law enforcement, all with the stated goal of sparking a popular revolution to install a new political system. The individuals carrying out these actions are insurgents because they are using armed hostility (bombings and confrontations) against the established government (the current regime) for a political purpose (overthrowing it and implementing a new ideological system).