Unrealistic Expectations: Current Challenges to Reintegration in Southern Sudan (HSBA Working Paper 21)

This paper takes a critical look at the first, ongoing phase of the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration ( DDR) process in Southern Sudan, and specifically at the reintegration component. It briefly outlines how DDR is currently implemented as well as its progress to date. It discusses the dynamics and challenges of reintegrating ex-combatants into local communities in light of the current security environment, and considers how to minimize risks of further destabilization and insecurity due to DDR.

The paper also looks at the feasibility of social and economic reintegration, con-sidering both the socio-economic context and the specific social composition of the first group of ex-combatants to be reintegrated. In addition, it reflects on lessons learned from the reintegration of returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to highlight both the challenges and the opportunities ahead for the successful and sustainable reintegration of ex-combatants.