Evaluating Demobilization, Disarmament, and Reintegration Frameworks: The Role of Community-Led Agro-Cooperatives in Reintegrating Former Combatants in Post-War Yemen

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 15, No. 11, November 2025 | pp. 91–99

DOI: 10.46882/2025/GJPCS/151101

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Evaluating Demobilization, Disarmament, and Reintegration Frameworks: The Role of Community-Led Agro-Cooperatives in Reintegrating Former Combatants in Post-War Yemen

Authors: Tariq H. Al-Sabahi¹, Sarah L. Bernstein²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Political Science, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; ²Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

Abstract:
Formal Demobilization, Disarmament, and Reintegration (DDR) strategies frequently encounter intense friction within civil communities following long-term, identity-based armed conflicts. This paper evaluates the operational efficacy of traditional, community-led psychosocial support mechanisms compared to state-administered vocational programs in supporting former combatants in post-conflict Yemen. Utilizing a longitudinal tracking methodology, we monitored 310 former insurgent fighters across a three-year post-conflict window ending in late 2024. The quantitative metrics reveal that ex-combatants integrated into rural agricultural cooperatives featuring strong grassroots community support systems recorded a 44% lower score on clinical psychological trauma indexes than those placed in individual urban environments. Furthermore, qualitative focus group assessments show that local cooperative models are more successful at rebuilding inter-communal trust and reducing retaliatory violence because they prioritize shared economic survival over individual legal compensation. The study demonstrates that centralized state DDR kits isolate returning combatants by neglecting community-wide healing dynamics. We argue that ensuring long-term democratic stability requires formally embedding localized cooperative structures into national peace implementation frameworks.

Keywords: DDR; Yemen Stabilization; Ex-Combatants; Psychosocial Reintegration; Community Cooperatives; Trust Building.

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 19, 2023; Revised: September 15, 2023; Accepted: November 22, 2023; Published: November 18, 2025

Citation: Al-Sabahi, T. H., & Bernstein, S. L. (2025). Evaluating Demobilization, Disarmament, and Reintegration Frameworks: The Role of Community-Led Agro-Cooperatives in Reintegrating Former Combatants in Post-War Yemen. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 15(11), 91–99. DOI: 10.46882/2025/GJPCS/151101

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