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Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration: the indispensable elements of any peace process

The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of military personnel and, in particular, members of armed groups are important elements of the process by which a country torn apart by violent conflict can embark on the path to sustainable peace. The Swiss Armed Forces support the UN in this regard with experts in various missions.

21.04.2021 | Kommunikation SWISSINT

DDR_Focus_Allgemein_2_Disarmament 2
In June 2020, members of one of the Maï-Maï armed groups surrendered their weapons in Kashege (Democratic Republic of Congo) which were later destroyed by UN personnel.

Early UN peacebuilding missions focused on monitoring ceasefires, as in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan, or in the Middle East. But conflicts are increasingly complex, and ever more comprehensive mandates are required to deal with those in regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan or Mali. In close cooperation with civilian aid organizations, the UN has gradually developed its engagement with the restoration of state structures and democratization. An important pillar of this work is the establishment of the rule of law and security institutions at both the national and local levels – two critical elements in stabilizing a country and building sustainable peace.

The UN Office for Rule of Law and Security Institutions has five components: Police; Justice and Corrections; Security Sector Reform (SSR); Mine Action; and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR). The Swiss Armed Forces are currently supporting Mine Action and DDR in various UN missions. While the engagement in humanitarian demining and its importance for a peace process has been widely known for a long time, there is less awareness of DDR as a component of peacebuilding. First applied in 1990 in the ONUCA (UN Observer Group in Central America) mission, the importance of DDR has since grown steadily as conflicts have become more complex, and has in recent years gained greater public awareness.

DDR involves disarming and demobilizing former military personnel and other members of armed groups during or after the end of an armed conflict, removing them from military structures, and working towards their long term reintegration into civilian society. Former combatants receive material and/or financial support, vocational training and often psychological care in an effort to provide them with an alternative source of income and thus ensure that they do not jeopardize security or stability in the future. This includes dealing with vulnerable young people who are at risk from being recruited again.

The Swiss Armed Forces send DDR experts to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as to Mozambique, where the UN is supporting the implementation of the peace agreement between the government and the rebels (more on this on pages 10+11). A Swiss officer is present as a DDR training officer at the UN headquarters in New York (more on pages 8+9), where Swiss military personnel have also worked as legal advisors in the field of DDR. When, as in the vast majority of today’s armed conflicts, a variety of different groups are involved with no clear distinctions between gangs, organized crime and violent extremism, or indeed, between war and peace, DDR becomes more complex and legally challenging. Legal advisors therefore deal with such issues as amnesty laws, examining where amnesty might even be permissible under international law and how any restrictions can be implemented in practice, as well as assessing the situation on the ground for any legal problems that might arise.

Increasing importance is also being attached to initiatives for the safe handling and appropriate storage of weapons and ammunition. Since 2017, the DDR Section at UN Headquarters in New York has been supporting related activities in the peacebuilding missions in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur, Mali and South Sudan. The DDR Section is also engaged in UN political missions1 such as in Colombia, Haiti, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Burundi, and provides DDR technical advice to states without a UN mission presence, including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire. There is no doubt that DDR will remain indispensable to the establishment of a secure and stable environment.

More exciting reports from the world of peace support in the magazine Swiss Peace Supporter 01/21


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