From conflict to ownership: Participatory approaches to the re-integration of ex-combatants in Sierra Leone
Kilroy, Walt
(2011)
From conflict to ownership: Participatory approaches to the re-integration of ex-combatants in Sierra Leone.
Irish Studies in International Affairs, 22
.
pp. 127-144.
ISSN 2009-0072
The demobilisation and re-integration of ex-combatants has become an important element in peace-building. The need for a more holistic, integrated approach, in which there is greater local ownership of the process, has long been recognised. However, putting this into practice remains a challenge. Re-integration ultimately takes place in the community, merging with development and post-conflict reconstruction. This study of re-integration in Sierra Leone uses the concept of ‘participation’ from development discourse, meaning the extent to which potential stakeholders have a say in how interventions are designed and implemented. It finds that participation and ownership are only seen to a limited extent, and only in certain situations.Many of the ex-combatants who participated in this study felt they did not receive adequate or accurate information regarding the re-integration process. This undermines the contribution that re-integration can have to the peace-building project. Participation proves to be a useful framework for assessing re-integration programmes, and for planning the more integrated approach that has long been advocated.
Metadata
Item Type:
Article (Published)
Refereed:
Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:
development; conflict recovery; sierra leone; liberia; ddr; ddrr; disarmament; demobilisation; demobilization; reintegration; ex-combatant; combatant; peacebuilding participation participatory social capital