Negotiating Disarmament and Demobilisation: A Descriptive Review of the Evidence

Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) are considered a mainstay of peace and stability operations. Yet, there is surprisingly limited critical examination of how they are negotiated in peace processes or grafted into peace agreements. Given the growing criticism over the design and effectiveness of DDR, it is important to take account of the ways in which it is negotiated to begin with, how it is sequenced, what is included and excluded, and the types of alternative arrangements that are intended to promote confidence among parties. Drawing on existing datasets, this article finds that provisions of DDR are present in over half of all documented comprehensive peace agreements and less than ten per cent of all peace accords, protocols and related resolutions. Moreover, conflict mediators and parties to peace talks seldom regard disarmament and demobilisation as preconditions for negotiations, wary of derailing negotiations. They are nevertheless key considerations in relation to wider security sector transformation and transitional justice in the aftermath of war.