Silencing the guns and the promise of peace

Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programs are designed and intended to facilitate the transformation of combatants into civilians. In this contribution for "Sustainable Security", Post Doc Jairo Munive analyzes the future of DDR.

The article argues that the important question regarding DDR programs is to ask ourselves: why do we approach these issues the way we do? Is the offer of a DDR program better than no program at all since it is believed that they make a substantial difference in the lives of ex-combatants?

The article concludes that the bulk of the world’s fighters, gang members, insurgents and high-risk youths is not waiting to be reintegrated, however, they have expectations of physical protection and material support for their own projects. They should have a say in this multimillion dollar enterprise.