Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration

Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration
SANAM NARAGHI ANDERLINI AND CAMILLE PAMPELL CONAWAY

When violent conflict erupts, the availability and use of arms and weapons surges. Often, particularly in civil wars and internal conflicts, both combatants and civilians own and utilise weapons. Their presence in society makes peacebuilding a very difficult task, increasing the potential for areturn to conflict and a high incidence of violent crime. The question of how to disarm factions is a key consideration in official peace negotiations, along with the related issue of how to demobilise fighting units, aiding their transition to civilian life. International actors have termed the phase of the peace process that addresses these issues as disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration(DDR). In theory, these processes can be described in a rather straightforward way. In reality, the situation is much more complex, as each conflict and peace process holds distinct challenges and opportunities. This chapter attempts to define these terms and processes according to international norms, while demonstrating that women are affected differently than men and offer unique perspectivesthat can contribute to more successful peacebuilding.

1. WHAT IS DDR?
International policy-makers consider formal DDR to be one of the most important steps in the peace process. The World Bank has defined a successful DDR program as “the key to an effective transition from war to peace.”1 Donors recognise that an unsuccessful DDR process can threaten the stability of a peace agreement andlong-term sustainable peace. The break up of fighting units, the disarmament and discharge of former combatants, their return to their families and reintegration into their communities is time-consuming, expensive and difficult. For purposes of explanation, the DDR process can be broken down into three separate but enormous components defined below. It is important to note, however, that DDR phasesoverlap and are interdependent. Disarmament is defined by the United Nations (UN), as “…the collection of small arms and light and heavy weapons within a conflict zone.”2 In general, physical disarmament occurs in assembly areas predetermined during the peace negotiations, where

fighters are gathered together in camp-like settings, weapons are confiscated, safely stored and eventually destroyed.“Demobilisation is the formal disbanding of military formations and, at the individual level, is the process of releasing combatants from a mobilised state.”3 Discharge of ex-combatants often occurs over a period of time, during which they are usually transported to their homes or new districts and granted small initial reinsertion packages. Reintegration itself has two phases—initial reinsertion andlong-term reintegration. Reinsertion refers to the short-term arrival period of an excombatant into his/her former home or a new community. Reintegration is a much longer-term process with the goal of ensuring permanent disarmament and sustainable peace. It includes assisting the community and the ex-combatant during the difficult transition to civilian life. In this phase, former fighters mayenter job placement services, participate in skills training, credit schemes, scholarships or rehabilitation programmes.

2 • INCLUSIVE SECURITY, SUSTAINABLE PEACE: A TOOLKIT FOR ADVOCACY AND ACTION

In some cases, the international community may refer to a fourth “R” in DDR (i.e. DDRR) representing rehabilitation, which encompasses difficult issues such as the need to address the psychologicaland emotional aspects of returning home, as well as problems that arise in relation to the wider community. Nearly all DDR programmes address rehabilitation in some form, but the most often used acronym for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration is DDR.

assistance, particularly with regard to DDR design and implementation. In El Salvador, the US Agency for International Development...