Case Studies in War-To-Peace Transition · the Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Ethiopia, Namibia, and Uganda

A successful demobilization and reintegration program (DRP) for ex-combatants is the key to an effective transition from war to peace. The success of this first step following the signing of a peace accord signals the end to organized conflict and thereby provides the security necessary for people affected by war to reinvest in their lives and their country. Undertaken in a peacetime context, a DRP enables a government to restructure its public expenditure in favor of poverty-oriented programs and to consolidate peace efforts. Reinsertion and reintegration are not distinct phases independent of demobilization. Rather, they are part of a seamless web in the transition from military to civilian life, without a clear beginning or end. As reinsertion and reintegration proceed, the needs of ex-combatants change and call for different support activities. To rebuild community social fabric and engender the understanding necessary to rebuild trust, measures of national reconciliation should form part and parcel of a DRP. A successful DRP requires several integrated actions: (a) classifying ex-combatants according to need, skill level, and their desired mode of subsistence, (b) offering a basic transitional assistance package (safety net), (c) finding a way to deliver assistance simply, minimizing transition costs while maximizing benefits to ex-combatants, (d) sensitizing communities and building on existing social capital, (e) coordinating centrally yet decentralizing implementation authority to districts, and (f) connecting the DRP to ongoing development efforts by retargeting and restructuring existing portfolios.