Completing the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration process of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the link to security sector reform of FARDC. Mission difficult!

The document analyzes the failure to complete multiple phases of the DDR process in the DRC, noting that ongoing violence in the eastern region and a lack of political will have hindered stability. It highlights the tension between 'brassage' (retraining and deployment) and 'mixage' (local integration) and argues that the FARDC's security sector reform cannot succeed without the effective completion of DDR. The report details the roles of international bodies like MONUSCO and the World Bank, while criticizing the Congolese government's preference for operational equipment over institutional accountability and the fragmented approach of bilateral donors.

• The first phase of the national DDR programme (November 2004 to December 2006) was terminated prematurely due to renewed violence in the eastern DRC, leaving a significant gap in its objectives; of the 300,000 target combatants, only 186,000 were processed, with 102,104 demobilised and 83,896 integrated into the FARDC.
• The second phase of DDR (July 2008 to December 2009) also failed to complete its objectives, with only 12,820 combatants processed and a low budget utilization rate; by October 2009, only 18 per cent of the US$75 million budget had been used.
• There is a fundamental conflict between the 'brassage' process, which breaks command chains by posting soldiers away from home, and the 'mixage' process demanded by groups like the CNDP and Mai-Mai, which allows combatants to remain in their own areas of operation.
• Security sector reform (SSR) of the FARDC is stalled because it is functionally dependent on the completion of DDR; the document suggests that integrating unskilled or illiterate personnel, such as the Mai-Mai, into the military structure prioritizes short-term calm over essential institutional reform.
• The Congolese government demonstrates a lack of ownership regarding institutional SSR, preferring bilateral support for operational equipment and the creation of a Rapid Reaction Force over multilateral efforts focused on oversight, command, and control.
• The DDRRR process for foreign armed groups, coordinated by MONUSCO and funded by the World Bank, repatriated over 16,100 soldiers from Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi between 2003 and February 2010, yet the FDLR remains a central security threat.
• The government's 'new' military reform plan (2009–2024) is divided into three phases: stability and internal reform (2009–2011), capacity building and logistics (2011–2016), and a return to normal military routine and peace support operations (2016–2024).

APA

Boshoff, H. (2010). Completing the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration process of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the link to security sector reform of FARDC. Mission difficult! Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2010_23Nov.pdf

Chicago

Boshoff, Henri. Completing the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration process of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the link to security sector reform of FARDC. Mission difficult! Institute for Security Studies, 2010. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2010_23Nov.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boshoff |first1=Henri |title=Completing the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration process of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the link to security sector reform of FARDC. Mission difficult! |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=23 November 2010 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2010_23Nov.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boshoff2010completing, author = {Boshoff, Henri}, title = {{Completing the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration process of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the link to security sector reform of FARDC. Mission difficult!}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2010}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2010_23Nov.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }