‘Community-based disarmament of Sudan’s former combatants’: HSBA report

Politically and militarily, the current context in Sudan is not conducive to the disarmament and demobilisation of former combatants, according to the latest Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) for Sudan and South Sudan. “In response to a clear military and political crisis in the country, the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) process in Sudan has largely departed from traditional notions of the practice,” the report explains. It provides a detailed account of DDR planning and roll-out in Sudan since the end of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) period, and describes the shift to a ‘community-based’ approach in the face of ongoing mobilisation for counter-insurgency operations, and assesses future prospects for DDR in Sudan. Research projectThe HSBA is a multi-year research project administered by the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies based in Geneva, Switzerland. By means of the active generation and dissemination of timely empirical research, the project supports violence-reduction initiatives. “Sudan’s DDR partners are led by the Sudan DDR Commission (SDDRC), which resides within the office of the President. The DDR context in the country is now characterised by the government’s unprecedented mobilisation of new (and some former) combatants aimed at quelling a fierce insurgency in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile,” the report states. “The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels in these areas have also recruited to support their stated goal of toppling the National Congress Party (NCP) regime. As counter-insurgency operations continue, DDR has been relegated from its former place as a government priority,” it laments. It explains that Sudan’s DDR partners have responded to this challenge by shifting the content and focus of programming to a ‘community-based’ approach. New approach“This new approach does not propose the initiation of new caseloads for disarmament or demobilisation but delivers community-relevant projects in areas with high concentrations of ex-combatants. Reintegration work with already disarmed and demobilized ex-combatants will continue.” It explains that until the extensive mobilisation ends, and a durable peace deal can be implemented, the international community and the United Nations feel unable to support any new demobilisation. Following the CPA period, from 2009-20012, the UN Development programme planned to disarm and demobilise 180,000 former combatants. “As of February 2013, 36,251 combatants (including 5,975 women) were demobilised In South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and the ‘Central Sector’ of North Kordofan, Khartoum, Sennar, and White Nile states. To date, 24,688 have received vocational and small business training, with 23,765 now having completed reintegration.” The report quotes a SDDRC strategic document that outlines plans to face the challenges presented to DDR in the face of armed conflict, using the new ‘community-based’ approach to demobilise, disarm and reintegrate 40,319 former combatants in 2013 and another 47,974 in 2014. However, the report admits that “the new realities of the ongoing conflict mean these numbers are certain to require adjustment”. Read the entire report (PDF)