Reintegration in Mozambique: An unresolved affair

It would be assumed that most former fighters agitating for compensation could have reintegrated into the society by now, this is not the case.

Close to two decades after the end of the civil war in Mozambique, the country is yet to complete the reintegration of the demobilised combatants into society. In early 2009, the government of Mozambique embarked on a programme that envisages assisting with the reintegration of an estimated 100 000 former fighters. It would be assumed that most of these former fighters agitating for compensation could have reintegrated naturally into the society by now. This however is not the case, and the Mozambican government has been designing a new programme that aims to address various demands synthesised into 18 points. This paper sought to understand why the former fighters are raising these issues, and how the government intends to respond. At the time of writing this paper, the process was still in its formative stages and therefore not conclusive. The analysis builds on interviews with associations of ex-combatants, government officials and civil society organisations, as well as information from secondary sources.

About the authors

Nelson Alusala and Dominique Dye are researchers within the Institute for Security Studies’ Arms Management Programme in Pretoria. They are working on a wide range of small arms and light weapons proliferation issues in Africa, including the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants.