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

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 15, No. 11, November 2024 | pp. 91–99

DOI: 10.46882/2024/GJPCS/151101

Article Type: Original Research Paper

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

Authors: Amanuel T. Mengistu¹, Sarah L. Bernstein²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 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 northern Ethiopia. Utilizing a longitudinal tracking methodology, we monitored 310 former insurgent fighters across a three-year post-conflict window ending in late 2023. 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; Ethiopia Peace Process; Ex-Combatants; Psychosocial Reintegration; Community Cooperatives; Trust Building

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 19, 2022; Revised: September 15, 2022; Accepted: November 22, 2022; Published: November 18, 2024

Citation: Mengistu, A. T., & Bernstein, S. L. (2024). Evaluating Demobilization, Disarmament, and Reintegration Frameworks: The Role of Community-Led Cooperatives in Reintegrating Former Combatants in Northern Ethiopia. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 15(11), 91–99. DOI: 10.46882/2024/GJPCS/151101

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