“Reintegration Of Ex-associates In Communities Is A Success”

The Committee recently adopted regional strate­ gies for the disarmament centres. What are the sa­ lient aspects of these stra­ tegies? In December 2025, there was the technical adoption of the National DDR Strategy. The strategy has been submitted to the hierarchy for validation. The document has six aspects. It establishes an inclusive conflict sensitive national DDR process that contributes to sustainable peace. It enhances community resilience, social cohesion and reconciliation in­ cluding Community Violence Reduction (CVR) approaches. The strategy supports sustai­ nable socio-economic, psycho­ social and civic reintegration of members and those asso­ ciated with armed groups. It reinforces governances, coor­ dination and accountability through a whole-of-govern­ ment approach led by the NDDRC. The DDR National Stra­ tegy has been designed to prevent violent extremism and re-recruitment through human rights based, gender-child sen­ sitive programmes. How does the training pro­ gramme in the different cen­ tres address the psychosocial needs and reconciliation re­ quirements of both ex-fighters and the victims of the conflict? The demobilisation of ex-as­ sociates in the NDDR Centres is a holistic one. It is designed to address the material, finan­ cial and most importantly the psychosocial needs of ex-as­ sociates and victims of their activities in the community. The ex-associates join the DDR Centres after experiencing di­ verse traumatizing situations in the bushes. In the DDR Cen­ tres, the officials use the ex­ pertise of psychologists, coun­ sellors, religious leaders, tea­ chers and motivational spea­ kers to boost the morale of the ex-associates. This is achie­ ved through daily teachings, seminars, socio-cultural and sporting activities in the Cen­ tres as well as within commu­ nities. This permits the ex-as­ sociates to completely sever links with combatants still in the bushes while at the same time adopting morally accep­ table behaviours of patriotism, tolerance and the use of dia­ logue to solve problems. The psychosocial assistance of vic­ tims of armed conflict in the community is equally a priority in the DDR process in Came­ roon. The DDR organises cam­ paigns in communities earlier affected by the armed conflict. Using psychosocial experts, the NDDRC ensures adequate care of the victims. In the same vain, the institution provides socio-economic assistance in communities. This includes the provision of potable water, electricity, the establishment of schools and other social services. How successful is the rein­ tegration process? How of­ ten do you do that so as not to saturate the cen­ ters? The NDDR carried out its major reintegration in December 2024. A total of 708 ex-asso­ ciates from the DDR Regional Centre of Mora were reinte­ grated. Since the historic event, the NDDRC continues to mo­ nitor the activities of the rein­ tegrated ex-associates in the communities. The monitoring process is through the direct observation of the activities of ex-...