But elsewhere, impoverished militia groups appear to be reverting to old ways - turning to banditry and extortion.
In Montana or Michigan, people disconcerted by a world changing too fast can join the local militia groups.
Under the Congolese peace agreement, the militia groups were meant to be disarmed.
Militia groups in Ivory Coast turned against French citizens 10 years ago when France was then seen as interfering in the country's affairs.
Recently, the Iranian ambassador spoke to reporters, rejecting U.S. claims that his country was funding training and arming militia groups in Iraq.
In exchange, Indonesia repeated its pledges to reform its economy and to get tough with the militia groups operating in West Timor.
If the Syrian National Council ultimately does take charge, it may struggle to contain the worst excesses of the militia groups, he said.
CNN: Syria: As al-Assad's grip loosens, what could come next?
With British troops providing security in the capital, the Sierra Leone army and allied militia groups were able to contain the rebels more effectively.
Insurgent and militia groups in Iraq have profited from the theft and illicit sale of oil to fund their activities, says the U.S. Defense Department.
Militia groups and factions of the Congo's army control many mines, imposing heavy "taxes" on miners for whom there are few alternatives for making a living.
In Congo, it means half a dozen armies and dozens of militia groups fighting over the country's gold and diamond mines between 1998 and 2003, leaving perhaps 3m dead.
Tripoli's government is also holding talks with two militia groups - the Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade and the February 17 Brigade - on the possibility of joining the regular army, Al-Akkari said.
Rebel militia groups in Africa are cashing in on demand for elephants, tigers and rhinos to fund civil conflicts, said John Scanlon, secretary general of Cites, the organisation that governs the trade in endangered species.
The BBC's Rana Jawad in the capital, Tripoli, says the country is still awash with weapons and there are lone regional and city brigades as well as some rogue militia groups that only take orders from themselves.
As they do not have the tribal or militia protection afforded to the majority groups, they can do little to defend themselves.
El Obeidi also said that extremist militia in Libya were financing militant groups in Mali and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb as well as providing them with logistical support.
Various radical groups, including the Laskar Jihad militia, which helped to encourage fighting in Central Sulawesi and Maluku, claim to have disbanded.
Inside the stadium grounds, which are guarded by militia in camouflage uniforms, stalls set up by volunteer groups offer the refugees services ranging from psychological counselling to the (seemingly more popular) charging of mobile-telephone batteries.
"It is a complex situation with multiple armed groups, " he said, describing the fighters as tribal militia.
Canada's Foreign Affairs Department warned last week of "ongoing clashes, including indiscriminate shelling, between pro-government militia and Gadhafi loyalists in Bani Walid, " as well as clashes between armed groups in Sabha and Kufra in the south.
The successes of the U.S. military troop increase, a cease-fire by al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia that began last summer and the growth of pro-U.S. Sunni groups called the Sons of Iraq and Awakening Councils had been among the reasons cited for the drop.
Warring insurgent groups, such as the Ugandan-based Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and the Hutu-backed militia known as FDLR, operating in the eastern DRC are a main source for instability in the region, the agency said.
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