This article unravels the role of non-state actors in regional security in the great lakes region of Africa. The analysis identifies what motivates non-state actors into action particularly, the desire to access scarce resources, the geopolitical environment; and their legitimate right to participate in governance to transform society. Using case studies, the paper cites concrete examples from political movements, militias, and civil society to understand why non-state actors can shape regional security positively or negatively. The paper concludes that what is important is to identify those non-state actors that have interest in peace and stability for networking and collaboration while at the same time engage positively or respond appropriately to those non-state actors that have negative attitude towards peace and security. This is possible through practising democratic governance and developing military and other security capabilities to deal with negative actors.