Disarmament, Demoblisation and Reintegration in Post 2018 Ethioipia: The Case of Patriotic Ginbot 7 Movement For Unity and Democracy
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2020-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University,
Abstract
The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration process is a security instrument that
prevents potential resumption of conflicts and security challenges arising from Ex combatants. The main purpose of this study is to assess the DDR process of Patriotic Ginbot
7 movement for unity and democracy in Ethiopia in the context of post 2018 Ethiopia. To this
end, this study employed qualitative case study research approach to assess the process,
negotiation and implementation of DDR; involved actors and the implication of the DDR and
political changes that resulted in post 2018 Ethiopia. Data was collect through in-depth
interview, open-ended questionnaire and document review analyzed using thematic analysis.
The key informant participants of this study were select purposefully based on their
experience and engagement in the implementation of the process. This study mainly
employed snowball sampling to contact ex-combatants of PG-7. The result of this study
reveals that the implementation of the DDR process is not in accordance with the guiding
principles of Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS)
of the United Nations. The research identified several shortcomings of the implementation
such as lack of written peace agreement, the attitude of the community that cherishes guns as
prized possessions, lack of commitment, problems of clear registration and favouritism, and
lack of an integrated approach among actors are the major challenges. Moreover, the political
changes unraveling in Ethiopia were both an opportunity and challenge to the DDR process
of PG-7, where both the envisaged political change and the DDR had limitations of
implementation. The process was mainly focus on demobilization whereas it gives less
emphasis on disarmament and reintegration of ex-combatants of PG-7. Thus, the DDR
process should have been design with the focus on promoting peace and security for the
people while also benefiting ex-combatants. It also requires political integrity of actors.
Description
Keywords
Armed groups, Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration, Political reform