Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) is an applied strategy for executing successful peacekeeping operations, and is generally the strategy employed by all UN Peacekeeping Operations. Disarmament entails the physical removal of the means of combat from ex-belligerents (weapons, ammunition, etc.); demobilization entails the disbanding of armed groups; while reintegration describes the process of reintegrating former combatants into civil society, ensuring against the possibility of a resurgence of armed conflict.
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DDR is somewhat different from the blanket term "peacekeeping", in that DDR requires certain conditions to be effectively implemented. They include, but are not necessarily limited to:
DDR is often carried out as a technical process, whereas it is in fact a highly political one. It is often overlooked that DDR is not only shaping the demand for security, e.g. to what extent the people still feel unsafe due to prevailing presence of armed groups in their proximity, but also the supply of security. The supply of security here refers to the amount of combatants integrated into regular security forces after the conflict has ended through means of DDR, thus influencing the structure and the organization of the newly emerged security sector. If too many soldiers, policemen or paramilitary troops are present, the DDR campaign has not altered the level of insecurity, but rather changed its cause.[1]
There are 6 aspects to a successful DDR conversion:
Demobilization is one aspect of conversion.
To assess the impact of demobilization one has to consider the resources involved, the dynamic processes of production, redistribution and the different factors and actors in policy making and implementation. The ultimate objective of demobilization and reintegration efforts should be to improve the welfare of people. Demobilization of combatants frees human potential that can contribute to achieving these objectives.