Demobilization – 1999
1999
The disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) process was conceived as critical to sustaining peace in Sierra Leone. The National Commission for Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (NCRRR), which was responsible for disarming the various fighting groups was reconstituted as the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (NCDDR). The DDR process started in October 1998 and was run by UNASMIL in coordination with NCDDR. The process was comprised of four different phases: (1) Phase I- September — December 1998; (2) Phase II- October 1999-April 2000; (3) Interim Phase – May 2000-May 17, 2001; (4) Phase III- May 18, 2001-January 2002.1
According to the eighth report of Secretary General on UNOMSIL (S/1999/1003, September 28, 1999), “the Government of Sierra Leone, working in close cooperation with the World Bank, the United Kingdom and UNOMSIL, developed an operational plan for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration into society of an estimated 45,000 fighters in Sierra Leone” (page 6). “The strength of the RUF is estimated at some 15,000, approximately the same size as the Civil Defence Force. The AFRC comprises some 6,000 men, slightly fewer than the current armed forces of Sierra Leone, which have a nominal roll of 7,000. Some 2,000 fighters are thought to belong to various paramilitary groups. UNICEF estimates that about 12 per cent of all combatants are children” (page 7).
“Under the programme, UNOMSIL would verify the eligibility of fighters arriving with their weapons at reception centres. ECOMOG, under United Nations supervision, would then collect, register, disable and destroy the weapons, either in situ, which is the preferred course of action, or at designated locations” (S/1999/1003, September 28, 1999, page 7). During the first phase, pre-discharge orientation, held between September and December 1998, combatants would receive basic necessities. They would also receive an allowance before being returned to their communities. The process was expected to take 90 days.
The implementation was designed to take place in phases (see above).
After signing the Lomé agreement and returning to Freetown on October 3, 1999, RUF leader Foday Sankoh and AFRC leader Johnny Paul Koroma met with combatants across the country in order to sensitize them to the Lomé Agreement and the DDR programme (S/1999/1223, December 6, 1999). The demobilization program officially started on October 20, 1999, and the second phase of the DDR began on November 4, 1999 with the opening of demobilization centers at Port Loko (center for RUF/AFRC and CDF), Daru (RUF/AFRC), Kenema (CDF), and at the camp in Lungi.
As of November 30, 1999, out of an estimated 45,000 combatants to be demobilized and disarmed, only 4,217 ex-combatants were registered. Those registered at demobilization centers were comprised of 658 AFRC/ex-SLA, 1,469 RUF and 518 CDF ex-combatants, with an additional 1,572 registered at Lungi (S/1999/1223, December 6, 1999, 4). The weapon to surrender ratio was about 1:4.
- Thusi, Thokozani and Sarah Meek,”Disarmament and Demobilization”, In eds. Mark Malan et al, “Sierra Leone: Building the Road to Recovery,” Institute for Security Studies, 2003, Monograph 80, http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/monographs/No80/content.html, pages 24-25.