Connecting Community Security and DDR: Experiences from Eastern DRC

The report is based on 11 weeks of field research in Ituri and the Kivus between September and December 2009, and looks at the linkages between community security and DDR in the case of eastern DRC. To assess this relation , the report starts with an analysis of what security is considered to entail and what factor are influencing security at the local level. Following, the focus shifts to DDR, and in particular on the problems with DDR as experienced by those involved. The perceptions on (in-)security in eastern DRC in relation to DDR programmes are then analyzed in relation to the DDR process requirements as put forward by ex-combatants and recipient communities. Based on this analysis the report concludes with a number of practical recommendations for DDR programmers, the international community, and local initiatives involved in DDR.