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

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 14, No. 11, November 2023 | pp. 91–99

DOI: 10.46882/2023/GJPCS/141101

Article Type: Original Research Paper

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

Authors: Kumari M. Perera¹, Siddharth K. Nair²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka; ²School of Global Studies, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden

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 Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Utilizing a longitudinal tracking methodology, we monitored 310 former insurgent fighters across a three-year post-conflict window ending in late 2022. 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; Bougainville Peace Process; Ex-Combatants; Psychosocial Reintegration; Community Cooperatives; Trust Building

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 15, 2021; Revised: December 02, 2021; Accepted: February 20, 2022; Published: November 18, 2023

Citation: Perera, K. M., & Nair, S. K. (2023). Evaluating Demobilization, Disarmament, and Reintegration Frameworks: The Role of Community-Led Agro-Cooperatives in Reintegrating Former Combatants in Bougainville. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 14(11), 91–99. DOI: 10.46882/2023/GJPCS/141101

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