Reintegration of Ex-combatants After Conflict ― Participatory Approaches in Sierra Leone and Liberia

Reintegration programmes for ex-combatants are supposed to support the wider peace process. This study looks at the way they were carried out in Sierra Leone and Liberia and assesses the degree to which they were conducted in a participatory way. To a large extent, ex-combatants felt that they had received unreliable information and had been afforded little input in the process. Others, whose experience had been more participatory, were faring better in terms of work, economic situation and community relations.

Reintegration of Ex-Combatants After Conflict is based on detailed interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, and on a survey and focus group discussions with ex-combatants. Their voices are clearly heard, in both the qualitative and quantitative data. Kilroy explores the important implications for the effect of reintegration programmes on the wider peacebuilding project. Social capital, which affects the peace process, is also highlighted, as the extent to which this can be created or undermined depends on the way the programmes were conducted. Kilroy's insightful study will appeal to all those with an interest in conflict resolution, post-war recovery, and development.

Walt Kilroy is Associate Director of the Institute for International Conflict Resolution and Reconstruction at Dublin City University in Ireland, where he teaches on security and development. His PhD thesis was awarded the Basil Chubb prize for the best thesis on political science in Ireland (2012). He previously worked in development in East Africa, and in foreign coverage for public service broadcasting.