USAID/OTI DROC Hot Topics
September 2005
Ex-Combatants Change Direction
The number of disarmed ex-combatants in the most volatile provinces in eastern DRC is estimated to be as high as 150,000. The DRC government and the international community have given the disarmament and reintegration process their highest attention and support. However, disarming ex-combatants and reducing arms in the region is not enough. Community members usually recognize ex-combatants as the militia members who ransacked their towns, committing horrendous human rights abuses along the way. Not surprisingly, community members tend to deny ex-combatants access to land, work or communal life, and in some instances the ex-combatants are even killed in revenge. In addition, some ex-combatants continue to behave toward others as if they were still militia members. If ex-combatants do not return successfully to their communities, there is the danger that they will go back to the militias.
 |
| “Everything for peace in Ituri”: A translation of the slogan on a SE*CA trainee’s hat." |
SE*CA training plays an important role in bridging the gap between communities and ex-combatants. It engages them in a meaningful dialogue and helps them to overcome resentments through the “Reaffirmation of Values” and “Conflict Resolution” modules. The “Democracy and Governance” module enhances the ex-combatants’ willingness to participate in the political transition process. For example, ex-combatants in Bunia, Ituri District, stated that if it were not for the SE*CA training, many people would have collected their voter registration cards with no intention to vote. The last two modules, “Agriculture and Revenue Generation” and “Health and Well-Being,” provide skills for returning to civilian life. With a lack of employment opportunities, the training keeps ex-combatants occupied and off the streets.
Throughout SE*CA communities, citizens are now accepting ex-combatants and noticing their changed behavior. After valuing the training’s positive effects for himself and others, a SE*CA Learning Facilitator, who is also an ex-combatant, devoted himself to training other ex-combatants. In April, he started training a group of 20 ex-combatants, which grew quickly to 80. After finishing their training and upon receiving their certificates at the recent International Peace Day, these ex-combatants asked Ituri citizens for forgiveness for the crimes that they committed. These ex-combatants are now reaching out to others who can also benefit from the training.
The Synergie d’Education Communautaire et d’Appui (SE*CA) program promotes improved stability in war-affected areas by facilitating the reintegration of war-affected youths into their communities and increasing local, regional and national understanding of issues that are key to the political transition. To support these objectives, SE*CA uses three tools: 1) a youth education and skills program to train war-affected youths in agriculture, civic education, health, conflict management, reconciliation, personal values, numeracy, and literacy; 2) a media program that supports access to information concerning issues key to the transition; and 3) an in-kind small-grants program that supports information dissemination projects and community-identified activities that are a priority for the community’s economic, political, and/or social revitalization.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Galeeb Kachra, Program Manager,
e-mail: gkachra@usaid.gov; telephone: (202) 712-1905
|
