Demilitarization of conflict and society is crucial to building sustainable peace in countries emerging from the scourge of civil war. As longstanding conflicts come to an end, a variety of approaches are adopted by international agencies and national
governments aimed at supporting processes that facilitate this potentially volatile transition from formal peace to social peace. At the heart of the exercise is the necessity of transforming the instruments of war – and in particular combatants themselves – from soldiers to citizens as well as ridding the wider society of armaments. Thus the process of Demilitarization involves not only a political commitment from the leadership to end hostilities but, if it is to lead to sustained peace, a deeper commitment at a social level amongst individuals (perpetrators of conflict) and communities (supporters or victims of conflict) to move beyond the identities and emblems which serve to perpetuate hostilities. The emergence of a new social contract in post-conflict societies is a vital step towards to re-legitimizing the institutions of governance through democratic elections.
DW Angola
Development Workshop Angola