Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration
Robert Mugabe once said: "Our votes must go together with our guns; after all, any vote we shall have, shall have been the product of the gun. The gun, which produces the votes, should remain its security officer, its guarantor. The people's vote and the people's guns are always inseparable twins".
This statement by a well-know dictator clearly illustrates how African leaders could handle DDR (Disaemament, demobilization and reintegration).in their respective countries, while our voices are demanding new efforts to address this common peril.
In every corner of Luanda, the capital city of Angola, one can listen to a popular song by Angolan rappers saying: "We have more guns in the country instead of children toys."
The statement made by these young people, who are not involved in DDR processes, demonstrates that nobody can deny the global scope of the human tragedy in a war-torn country like Angola caused by the illicit spread and uncontrolled use of SALW (Small Arms and Light Weapons).
The issue of weapons in the possession of civilians no doubt represents the most pressing security threat in the short to medium term. It undermines the sustainability of peace process. According to rough estimates, there are between 5 to 10 million SALW in the hands of civilians throughout the country. The Angolan civil society and NGO, such as the Angolan Center for Teaching Peace have always expressed concerns that such weapons might jeopardize stability in the country, with its fragile or so-called democracy and compromise development at the national level. So far, the oceans of oil and rivers of diamonds have not benefited the population of Angola.
So let us reflect on this situation and see how to disarm the population, and what kind of assistance we need in this effort. The presence of guns in Angola began during the tumultuous transition to independence, which led the country into its famous civil war between MPLA and UNITA, with several other actors also involved.
In 1992, when UNITA decided to remove the local structures of the government, after the elections results were announced, heavy fights broke out between the belligerents, first in Luanda and then in several other cities. Many Angolans were killed because the government had distributed several types of small arms amongst the population. All these weapons, their use and their diffusion have led and will most likely continue to lead to the destruction of lives and property of innocent Angolans throughout the national territory. We are currently witnessing conflicts in which SALW are constantly used. Examples include armed robberies and nightly attacks in several communities, which also prevent the return of people to their homes. Therefore we can conclude that SALW know no boundaries in Angola. The reason is that there has been no qualitative change in the situation of the country.
The overabundance of SALW inspires certain elements in society to take action. However, hardly any field studies have been undertaken on small arms in Angola. Besides, there are many constraints that make small arms action difficult. Disarmament and demobilization will be one phase of a wider and long-term transition to security reform. This does not necessarily mean providing the police with new uniforms and Uzi machine guns. This can only be achieved through several mechanisms.
Security is essential condition for sustainable development and a strong concern of the poor. The role of the state and its security forces directly impact upon the opportunity for sustainable development and people's security. In this case it is very important to review this sector, the roles and responsibilities of the various actors and the relationship between them.
Too often in Africa, and Angola is no exception, the military is used to sustain governments in Power and is inappropriately involved in internal security including DDR. Police forces are often under-funded ad unable to guarantee security, giving rise to coercion and corruption (e.g. selling or renting their weapons to make money).
Hence the legitimate authorities face a series of problems in their attempt to regain control of the weapons that have flooded the country during the civil war. In very general terms, to Angolans youth in general the use of weapons has become a means to survive through crime and banditry. What is more, policemen are potential criminals.
Faced with all these challenges and constraints, Angola has a desperate need for suitable strategies to tackle this problem once and for all, otherwise it is too early to say: " peace in Angola is irreversible"