Challenges of a future reintegration programme in Somalia : outcomes of an assessment on drug abuse, psychological distress and preferences for reintegration assistance

Abstract

Based on an assessment of over 8000 active militia members and military staff in seven regions of Somalia, this article reports on three groups of respondents who might require special attention in a future Somali Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program. The assessment revealed distinct preferences concerning future reintegration assistance, according to region, age and gender of the respondents. In the south of Somalia, a large number of young respondents want to return to formal schooling, but they are especially burdened by war-related trauma and exhibit elevated patterns of drug use. Many of the older respondents in the north of Somalia and female respondents throughout of the country prefer monetary support from a future reintegration program. This group might not have realistic expectations about demobilization and the existing modules of reintegration assistance might not meet their specific needs. A third group consisted of respondents with a prior psychological breakdown which had disrupted their every day functioning and who might be at high risk to develop severe psychiatric disorders in the future, as demonstrated in a previous study. The findings suggest that, for planning and implementation of a DDR program, variables such as the expectations, drug use and the psychological stress of individual ex-combatants have to be taken into account.