South Sudan: High Optimism over Demobilization and Disarmament Policy

By Eunice Kilonzo

Juba---Four weeks before its independence, South Sudan leaders remain optimistic that the new policy paper, which was drafted to guide the next phase of the Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) programme looks set to meet required mandates.

The new policy outline, currently being discussed in Juba at a consultative meeting, was reportedly developed by a technical committee that comprised of 10 senior officials from South Sudan Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration Commission (SSDDRC) and South Sudan’s Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA).

“The technical committee did its part. After these deliberations, the policy will be presented to cabinet for approval. We expect it to be ready at least before July 09,” William Deng Deng, the SSDDRC Chairperson said. . The current DDR programme was an integral part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), designed for one country and two systems. The first phase of the programme, which started in June 2009, initially targeted approximately 34,000 special needs groups such as the elderly, former combatants and women associated with armed forces.

Already, a total of 11,944 DDR participants, according to SSDDRC, had been demobilized as of mid-March in selected South Sudan states of Central Equatoria, Lakes, Western Bahr El-Ghazal, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria.

South Sudan will become independent in July following a referendum in favour of secession in January. The plebiscite was agreed as part of the 2005 peace accord, which ended decades of civil war.

“The next phase of the programme, which is expected to begin after South Sudan’s independence declaration, will mainly focus on disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating active SPLA soldiers,” Deng added.

Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the region’s information and broadcasting minister reiterated his government’s commitment to make the DDR programme a priority in the post-independence era.

Top of the plan, the minister added, is government’s plan to ensure that the current number of southern forces are downsized, properly trained and later transformed into a regional peace keeping force.

Marial, however, distanced his government and its forces from repeated allegations of having extensively recruited child soldiers during the over two decade civil war with the north.

“The children who came to the SPLA barracks were mainly orphans and those who had nowhere to go. What the army did was to send them to school and they are now well educated and serving in various disciplines within the country,” he emphasized.

The objective of the DDR process is to contribute to security and stability in post-conflict environments so that recovery and development can begin. The DDR of ex-combatants is a complex process, with political, military, security, humanitarian and socio-economic dimensions. It aims to deal with the post-conflict security problem that arises when ex-combatants are left without livelihoods or support networks, other than their former comrades, during the vital transition period from conflict to peace and development. Through a process of removing weapons from the hands of combatants, taking the combatants out of military structures and helping them to integrate socially and economically into society, DDR seeks to support ex-combatants so that they can become active participants in the peace process.

In this regard, DDR lays the groundwork for safeguarding and sustaining the communities in which these individuals can live as law-abiding citizens, while building national capacity for long-term peace, security and development. It is important to note that DDR alone cannot resolve conflict or prevent violence; it can, however, help establish a secure environment so that other elements of a recovery and peace-building strategy can proceed. DDR activities are crucial components of both the initial stabilization of warn-torn societies as well as their long-term development. As such, needs for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration must be integrated into the entire peace process from the initial peace negotiations through peacekeeping and follow-on peace building activities.