06.07.07 "This Gun is our Food": Demilitarising the White Army Militias of South Sudan
NUPI Working Paper 722 | 27 pages.
The working paper discusses the problems of in managing demilitarising of militia in post-conflict transitions to peace, with focus to the so-called "White Army"-militias of South Sudan.
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"This Gun is our Food": Demilitarising the White Army Militias of South Sudan
Militias and other armed groups embody a special dimension in warfare that transcends the classic inter-state and intra-state (government/guerrilla movement) disputes of the past. These militarised entities are prone to pursue conflict first and foremost in terms of local interests, which make them notoriously difficult to manage in the context of post-conflict transitions to peace, and as a consequent pose particular challenges for DDR programmes. The classic instruments utilised in disarmament practices – namely influence, incentives and coercion – tend to be blunt in their generic, internationally-mandated application and can therefore produce a variety of unintended consequences, including active resistance amongst militias. The demilitarisation of the so-called ‘White Army’ militias of South Sudan highlights, on the one hand, the complexities inherent in managing a disarmament process aimed at militias and, on the other hand, illustrates the possibilities for success inherent in a well-considered campaign. This paper highlights policy considerations for the demilitarisation of militias based on the lessons learned from South Sudan’s recent experiences disarming White Army militias in Upper Nile and Jonglei states from January to August 2006.
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