By IPS Correspondents
BONN, Dec 12 1998 (IPS)

Countries that embark on disamament and troop reduction programmes, intending to use the money saved for development purposes, find that achieving an immediate peace dividend is no easy matter, says a new study released here.

This is because considerable investments in demobilisation and reintegration programmes are necessary before public spending for the armed forces can be reduced in real terms, says the study.

“These costs are often underestimated and usually are not a part of the defence budget,” according to the study, published by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

The GTZ report ‘Concepts and Experiences of Demobilisation and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants’ argues that only if the pension funds of armed forces are used to finance reintegration, or if the army conducts demobilisation with its own resources, can such funds come from the defence budget.

The fact is that in most African countries destabilisation and reintegration programmes (DRPs) for ex-combatants – demmed an important instrument for peace-keeping and for preventing armed conflict – have not been funded through defence budgets but largely by foreign donors, says the GTZ report.

Experience shows that even if the defence budgets are cut, the remaining troops usually enjoy better pay and are armed with better equipment, the report added..

GTZ currently is supporting and implementing targeted DRPs for ex- combattants in five African countries – Angola, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mozambique and Uganda. In the light of its experiences in these countries, the 52-page report argues: “The peace dividend is not simply a cut in the defence budget but rather the overall benefit and development that a country enjoys as a consequence of successful demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants.”

The benefit of peace is difficult to measure as it entails a number of developments and changes at different levels of the state and society. One such benefit is, of course, the civilian use of former army structures, the establishment of development projects and local agencies concerned with development, GTZ notes.

It remains a fact that, in post-war societies, there is a wide scope of tasks in the field of development-oriented emergency aid.

These range from emergency aid in the first phase to infrastructure rehabilitation measures, organisational management consultancy as well as promotion of training and employment.

Demobilisation comprises massing, registering, disarming and discharging the combatants, or disabling the army. After being discharged from an army, ex-combatants are supported in their efforts to reintegrate in all areas of civilian society. The combination of a variety of different instruments, policies and projects are forumulated in reintegration programmes.

The report points out that diverse occasions exist for demobilising and reintegrating soldiers, armed groups and guerrilla fighters which vary from one country to another. After a civil war, the warring factions disband their armed units and only a few combatants can be taken over into the new army, Or, after a change in government or in the wake of political reforms, the army is disbanded or its members are reduced.

The GTZ study observes with some satisfaction that: “In order to implement savings in the defence budget the personnel strength of the army must be cut considerably.

“The pressure exerted by international donors and requirements of regional policies of detente have led many government to reduce their armed forces and to disband armed units.”

The target groups are primarily male and female demobilised combatants and former members of armed groups. GTZ adds, however, thast partners, dependants and families – as well as war invalids, old veterans and war widows – also must be taken into consideration as potential beneficiaries of reintegration measures. A further task of DRPs is to strengthen the resources of communities and families which take in the ex-combatants.

The study recommends that reintegration programmes should utilise the self-help potential of ex-combatants and improve social, political and economic acceptance for this group. Precisely in this field there is a considerable demand for consultancy services in connection with the organisation and planning of programmes and building-up both government-run and non-governmental agencies.

The GTZ study is of particular interest to those working for conflict resolution as civil wars and the militarisation of society have had a disastrous effect of human development in many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the first half of the 1990s global disarmament and regional peace initiatives have led to cease-fires and peace accords in countries that have suffered through wars for decades.

The transition from a war economy to sustainable peace poses new challenges for development cooperation. GTZ believes that emergency aid alone is not sufficient to support war-affected societies in their efforts to rebuild a civilian society and to utilise the potential of former combatants for productive purposes.

Special programmes have been developed for the reintegration of former soldiers, guerrilla fighters and members of other armed groups, thus reducing the use of violence and helping ex- combatants to gain perspectives in a civilian society. Today reintegration programmes are an important step in the continuum of from disaster to development.

The concepts of demobilisation and reintegration have been formulated in close relationship with policy documents of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and of the European Union.

The comprehensive research conducted by the World Bank and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) on demobilisation as well as on rebuilding war-torn societies also influenced the formulation of the guidelines developed by GTZ.

The GTZ study sees in demobilisation and reintegration a challenge to governments, peace-keepers, development agencies and NGOs alike.

In the transition process from war to peace demobilisation programmes can play a crucial role, the study says.

The successful integration of ex-combatants into the civilian life can on the other hand lay the foundation for sustainable peace and demilitarisation, thus it is important to develop specific tools which are directed at the special needs of demobilised combatants, it concludes.

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