ABSTRACT
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced a series of violent conflicts in the last ten years. Mobutu’s rule, which became increasingly violent through the 1990s, was overturned in 1997 by a rebellion led by Laurent Kabila. The following year, a second war broke out in the east of the country, which continued until 2003 when a peace was agreed, although this has remained partial both geographically and categorically. Demobilisation stayed on the political agenda throughout the second war and became a central preoccupation when the peace was signed. The wars in DRC have seen massive recruitment and shifts of alliance, and this chapter explores a particular conundrum that relates to efforts at demobilisation: rebel fighters have been recruited for a few dollars and instability has arisen because soldiers are not paid, yet demobilisation programmes, which bring promises of reintegration grants, have not enticed people to disarm. The chapter examines three features of the situation in Congo: the informalisation of politics and the economy; the exercise of power through violence; and the multiple crises in which people are living. Against this background, four demobilisation programmes are presented: the regular programme of adult fighters; the programme in Ituri; the demobilisation of children; and the demobilisation of foreign troops. The chapter investigates the implications of the current political situation for demobilisation efforts, and the achievements of the programmes as they stand. The chapter draws on reports on the demobilisation and peace processes, and on a series of interviews conducted in Kisangani in 2005, which centred on people’s perceptions of development and security. Setting the demobilisation within the wider context in Congo, the chapter contributes to a growing body of literature on demobilisation that goes beyond programme evaluation. The work of Norma Kriger, for example, identifies the political winners and losers from the demobilisation of guerrilla forces in Zimbabwe,1 a theme that is taken up in this chapter. Demobilisation in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, too, has been analysed with respect to the development trajectory;2 this has parallels in Congo where forms of insecurity have continued and mutated through the episodes of demobilisation. The experience of Congo provides further evidence of broader political significance of security sector intervention.
