Critical analysis of DDR program for the reintegration of former Boko Haram associates: exploring the role of middle-range actors and tools
Institutional Affiliation
University of Montréal
Start Date
2-11-2023 3:30 PM
End Date
2-11-2023 5:00 PM
Proposal Type
Presentation
Proposal Format
On-campus
Proposal Description
The issues related to extremist violence in recent years have led to the development of several public policies in an international context marked by the prevalence of programs and policies aimed at managing the “deradicalization” of former terrorists. Initiatives aiming to structure the return of individuals who have joined extremist organizations through the prism of the sociology of public action remain to be explored in the African context, especially since it is a real recruitment pool for violent extremist groups. In Cameroon, an institutional offer of exit from extremist violence was proposed following the surrender of Boko Haram associates, trough of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program. This paper aims to specifically examine this public instrument framing the exits from Boko Haram by exploring the numerous contemporary challenges of this « dispositive » and effects that it generates. Based on qualitative research conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 (33 interviews in 3 mains cities in Cameroon), the study shows how the nature of contemporary conflict requires the development of theories and praxis of the ‘middle ranges’ to navigate contemporary complexities (Lederach, 2001). I propose a conceptual framework of dissociation, justice, and community conversation to contribute to a paradigm shift and to mobilize strategically all the stakeholders and local tools for peacebuilding.
Critical analysis of DDR program for the reintegration of former Boko Haram associates: exploring the role of middle-range actors and tools
The issues related to extremist violence in recent years have led to the development of several public policies in an international context marked by the prevalence of programs and policies aimed at managing the “deradicalization” of former terrorists. Initiatives aiming to structure the return of individuals who have joined extremist organizations through the prism of the sociology of public action remain to be explored in the African context, especially since it is a real recruitment pool for violent extremist groups. In Cameroon, an institutional offer of exit from extremist violence was proposed following the surrender of Boko Haram associates, trough of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program. This paper aims to specifically examine this public instrument framing the exits from Boko Haram by exploring the numerous contemporary challenges of this « dispositive » and effects that it generates. Based on qualitative research conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 (33 interviews in 3 mains cities in Cameroon), the study shows how the nature of contemporary conflict requires the development of theories and praxis of the ‘middle ranges’ to navigate contemporary complexities (Lederach, 2001). I propose a conceptual framework of dissociation, justice, and community conversation to contribute to a paradigm shift and to mobilize strategically all the stakeholders and local tools for peacebuilding.