Executive Summary

This study is an update of the June 2007 report Opportunities and Constraints for the Disarmament & Repatriation of Foreign Armed Groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo - The cases of the FDLR, FNL and ADF/NALU(1) published by the Multi-country Demobilisation and Reintegration Program (MDRP). The 2007 report described the main foreign armed groups in the Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and what impact these had on Congolese host communities, the process of state-building in the DRC as well as peace, security and development

The Multi-country Demobilization and Reintegration Program ended on June 30, 2009, when the multi-donor trust fund financing its activities closed.

Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) projects financed by the MDRP had already been closed in most countries since the end of 2008. The only exception was the Republic of Congo, where the program ended in February 2009.

Follow-up DDR activities

DDR needs are still present in the seven countries that MDPR supported. Below is a summary table of follow-up work by country (see attached PDF).

A new publication from the MDRP provides practical advice for incorporating HIV/AIDS activities into demobilization, reinsertion and reintegration programs for ex-combatants.

HIV/AIDS prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa is still the highest in the world: 2/3 of all HIV positive people live there and 3/4 of all AIDS-related deaths occur there(1).

Further research is needed to establish clearly whether the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is higher among soldiers and

A&N no. 5

Le projet d'Apprentissage pour l'égalité, l'accès et la paix (LEAP de son sigle anglais) a financé une formation pour le traitement des troubles liés aux traumatismes chez les victimes de violences basées sur le genre.

Pendant trois semaines de janvier à février 2009, trente et un hommes et femmes congolais ont reçu une formation en aide psychosociale sur les traumatismes par un groupe de cinq experts financés par le programme LEAP du MDRP.

Les participants - des travailleurs sociaux ou de la santé, et même des docteurs - ont été choisis dans des

A new publication from the MDRP provides practical advice for incorporating HIV/AIDS activities into demobilization, reinsertion and reintegration programs for ex-combatants.

The Guidelines for incorporating HIV/AIDS activities into DDR Programs for ex-combatants were commissioned by the MDRP in early 2008 and written by Carla Rull Boussen. They are based on extensive individual and focus group discussions with ex-combatant groups in Angola, Burundi, the Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and inputs from numerous specialists on HIV/AIDS and DDR.

En République du Congo, 37 ex-combattants mutilés de guerre viennent de recevoir des prothèses dans le cadre de la mise en oeuvre du Programme national de désarmement, démobilisation et réinsertion (PNDDR).

Dans l'enceinte du centre national d'appareillage orthopédique de Brazzaville, avant même de marquer ses premiers pas, Crépin Mayoumou Moussoua exprime sa joie : « Je me sens bien, je me sens en forme maintenant, malgré la chaleur que je ressens à la jonction de ma jambe avec l'appareil orthopédique... Je ne croyais pas que j'allais bénéficier

Le Programme multi-pays de démobilisation et réintégration (MDRP en anglais) sera clôturé en juin 2009 après sept d'années de soutien à la démobilisation et à la réintégration de près de 300 000 ex-combattants dans sept pays d'Afrique centrale. Au cours de leurs dernières réunions annuelles, les partenaires du MDRP ont parlé des résultats accomplis et ont partagé les leçons importantes tirées de la mise en oeuvre du programme.

Temps de réflexion

Durant quatre jours, les partenaires du MDRP se sont réunis à Washington pour les dernières réunions annuelles

In remote areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where roads and running water are scarce or simply non existent, a sophisticated technology is being used to identify ex-combatants.

Launched in 2004, the Programme national de désarmement, démobilisation, et réinsertion (PNDDR) in DRC is supporting the return to civilian life of combatants who fought during Africa's so-called first "world war" in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The largest program supported by the MDRP in the Great Lakes region, with a total cost

Phil Maughan, an MDRP consultant who specializes in social development in post-conflict settings, recently carried out a mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo to follow up on the current situation in the east. Phil traveled to both Kinshasa and Goma between December 3 and 19, 2008 and presented his findings and impressions in an interview with Chantal Rigaud, Communications Associate in the Secretariat.

MDRP Secretariat
Phil, what was the primary objective of your mission in the DRC?

Phil Maughan
Most people know there has been an upsurge in fighting in eastern Congo