05.05.2004
Liberia: Providing Alternative Livelihoods for Ex-Combatants Major Challenge after Demobilization
LWF/DWS Liberia Contribution to Peace and ReconciliationMONTREUX, Switzerland/GENEVA, 5 May 2004 (LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) representative in Liberia Mr Charles Pitchford is optimistic that former combatants in the country's 14-year civil war are committed to the ongoing disarmament and demobilization process. "But the biggest challenge is how to actively engage these young men and women so that they have alternatives other than looting and perpetrating all sorts of violence, acts they routinely carried out literally drugged during the civil war," he told Lutheran World Information (LWI) in an interview.
Pitchford, director of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) program in Liberia, was interviewed by LWI at the April 26-27 DWS Annual Forum in Montreux. The yearly gathering brings together LWF/DWS donor agencies, representatives of some of the field programs and Geneva Secretariat staff to focus strategically on common concerns. At a workshop on the topic "Prophetic Diakonia: Contributions to Peace and Reconciliation," Pitchford explained the DWS program's involvement especially in the ongoing Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Re-integration (DDRR) process, targeting an estimated 40,000 ex-combatants of former rebel groups' factions and of ex-government forces.
DWS Liberia Takes Lead in Managing Cantonment Sites
Of the four cantonment sites selected for the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)-led DDRR, the LWF program is responsible for the construction and management of two camps in Gbarnga (northeast of Monrovia) and Buchanan (southeast of the capital), said Pitchford. On April 15, LWF/DWS Liberia completed the Gbarnga camp, and started operations at Buchanan on April 20. The United Nations Development Program sponsors the actual camp management.
A pre-condition for disarming and demobilizing is that the expected 15,000 UNMIL peace keeping forces are completely deployed. But the process that began last December is continuing with around 13,200 peacekeepers currently on the ground, due to pressure on the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) by the international community. Demobilization is a key prerequisite to the release of the USD 520 million pledged to Liberia during the February 2004 donors conference in New York, United States, Pitchford explained.
The actual surrendering of arms takes place at UNMIL centers, after which those disarmed are driven to the demobilization camps. Involvement in the DDRR has been a major undertaking for DWS Liberia. Until April 1 the office had only 153 staff that increased to a workforce of over 625 in a period of about one month, and is still rising in order to cope with demands for construction, as well as need for specialized personnel to assess the disarmed former fighters. "The construction activities, required within a short time frame, mandated the use of more than 500 workers at each site," Pitchford said.
Each camp consists of 50 dormitories, with a capacity for 28 persons each. A camp has 3 kitchens, 8 dining halls, 10 improved latrines, 10 bath facilities, 10 water wells, recreational facilities, and a razor-wire perimeter fence with electric lighting. They are constructed in such a way that men, boys, girls and women are kept apart. Those aged 17 and under are separated from the adults as soon as possible. They are removed from the demobilization camp within 72 hours to an interim care center for three months, during which contact is sought with their parents or guardians.
The disarmed ex-combatants remain in a demobilization camp for five days. On the first day they go through a general induction that involves interviews, medical screening, issuance with photo identity card and meal cards. The following two days are dedicated to a rehabilitation interview process in which DWS Liberia involves the trauma, healing and reconciliation team of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL). This is followed by a personal development orientation that integrates classes on civic education, career counseling, human rights, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS awareness. On the last day, the former fighters are given USD 150, World Food Program food rations for one month for three people, and provided with transport to their home area or their preferred region of resettlement. They are asked to wait for a radio announcement, one to three months post-demobilization, requesting them to report to UNDP-contracted local agencies, where they get another USD 150, and further instructions on rehabilitation and placement.
Ex-Combatants Surrender Small Arms and Ammunition
Pitchford expressed optimism that most of the ex-combatants throughout Liberia will heed the call to return whatever arms they may still be keeping. From April 10 to 25, the Gbarnga camp had received 3,123 former fighters comprising 2,360 men, 332 women, 364 boys and 67 girls. This group alone had surrendered 932 small arms including one surface air missile, and 106,715 rounds of ammunition. Out of the 1,014 ex-combatants registered at the Buchanan camp April 20-25, there were 655 men, 61 women, 228 boys and 70 girls. They surrendered another 435 small weapons and 20,750 rounds of ammunition, the DWS Liberia director explained.
He affirmed the need to finalize the disarmament and demobilization process so that Liberians can embark on the major task of reconstruction. The war in which some 200,000 people died, also led to the near-total destruction of 85 percent of the physical infrastructure throughout the country. As a result, the country has "virtually no economy" according to Pitchford. There is little health care, and the scarce employment opportunities were limited to government jobs that offered financial incentives instead of formal salaries. The NTGL is now beginning to pay public servants and establishing systems to curb corruption. Elections are expected in October 2005.
Pitchford cited other challenges. The NTGL includes former rebel representatives, who are still empowered by armed groups languishing in key strategic parts of the country. Security, he noted, remains a major concern. The current transitional power-sharing government between political parties, the outgoing administration, and the two rebel groups - Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), was established after the August 2003 peace agreement in Ghana.
Anticipated Repatriation of Refugees and IDPs
Almost half of the population of nearly 3 million people found themselves at one time or other either as refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). Six months after the October 2003 installation of the NTGL, some 300,000 Liberians are IDPs, and as many more are refugees mainly in the neighboring countries awaiting repatriation, Pitchford said.
In its regular operations, DWS Liberia manages two IDP camps, Jah Tondo and Salala, accommodating more than 50,000 IDPs, 60 percent of whom are women and children. After disarmament and demobilization, it is estimated that the IDPs and refugees will want to resettle back home alongside returning, demobilized ex-combatants. "We believe now is the time to begin preparation for their return," said Pitchford. He stressed the need for programs that focus on training of trainers in various skills including agriculture, income generation, trauma healing, conflict resolution and peace building and reconciliation.
According to Pitchford, collaboration with the LCL—LWF/DWS country program began in 1990 at the church's invitation—is crucial especially in operational areas with a Lutheran presence. "Hand in hand with the LCL, we can serve a larger beneficiary population while providing capacity building to both the church and community institutions," the LWF Liberia representative concluded. (1,204 words)
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