This article explores how divisions within rebel groups affect the outcomes of civil war. Based on two case studies—the Indian state of Nagaland and the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh—and using the method of structured, focused comparison, the study demonstrates that the existence of multiple rebel groups can increase the risk of protracted insurrection because they create an anarchic order in which there is no central authority to enforce an agreement. It suggests that governments’ divide-and-conquer policy toward rebel groups can block the pathway to peace, as it reproduces a spiral of violence. The article contends that policymakers should reframe counterinsurgency policies, emphasizing the reintegration of rebels and tribal populations rather than exploiting their historical enmities.