By Dominique Dye, Junior Researcher, Arms Management Programme, ISS Pretoria

Following a 16-year civil war that ended in 1992, Mozambique has remained a relatively peaceful country and has avoided a resurgence of armed conflict. The country has had three general elections since the signing of a peace agreement and is gearing up for a fourth that is to take place on the 28th of this month.

In its election manifesto, the ruling Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo) party has outlined several issues that it intends to focus on over the next five years, including poverty, good governance and national unity. The party has also indicated that it plans to reassess the situation of demobilised and former combatants in the country, a process that has already been started. It is estimated that there are still approximately 100 000 demobilised persons in Mozambique.

A United Nations-led disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programme was carried out in the country after the conflict ended, and while it succeeded in stabilising the security situation and disarming most combatants, it had limited success in its efforts to assist ex-combatants reintegrate back into civilian life, and in particular the workforce. It also did not adequately address the needs of vulnerable demobilised persons, such as those who were disabled during the conflict.

Demobilised and former combatants have generally been well accepted back into communities, however many remain unemployed and continue to live in extreme poverty, as they were recruited into the armed forces from school and have little or no education and/or employable skills. They also have little access to medical care and social services.

In an attempt to address some of the challenges they face, the government of Mozambique has embarked on a new reintegration process. An inter-ministerial committee was created this year, which is headed by the Minister of Defence, and is comprised of several other ministries, including Social Affairs, Education, Health, Public Housing, and Finance. While the committee is in charge of overseeing the new reintegration process, a newly established directorate is in charge of carrying out and implementing decisions taken by the committee. The directorate, which was created under the Ministry of Women and Social Action in March 2009, deals specifically with issues relating to ex-combatants.

The committee and directorate meet with an umbrella association of demobilised persons that represents the interests of 14 different associations across the country. This association has drafted and agreed on a list of 18 points that it would like the government to address. Taking into consideration the financial constraints in addressing all of the concerns, these points are in the process of being discussed and negotiated until agreement is reached. The points relate mostly to the allocation of pensions, access to medical care, education and the lack of employment opportunities for demobilised persons.

A lack of employment opportunities is one of the biggest challenges faced by demobilised persons. Some have expressed an interest in returning to agriculture though do not have the tools and necessary equipment to farm. During the initial DDR process, agricultural equipment was given out to demobilised combatants though, not having the financial means to sustain a business, many sold their equipment. An additional concern for those now wanting to farm is the landmine problem, which renders much valuable agricultural land in the country useless. Some demobilised have shown interest in assisting with the clearing of landmines to resolve this problem, as they have the technical know-how to do so.

Still in its early stages, the first phase of the new reintegration programme involves a three-month registration process to ascertain how many demobilised persons require assistance and what type of assistance they require. Once the registration process has been completed, a planning phase will take place. The initiative is so far entirely government funded and while it will take some time, it has been welcomed by the demobilised.