Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses ex-combatant migration to urban areas and the reintegration opportunities which cities can provide. This paper asks whether DDR programmes could be effective if they focus on supporting urban economic development and ex-combatant access to livelihoods to cities.

Paper long abstract:

DDR programmes typically aim to support ex-combatants to return to civilian life and build new livelihoods which do not involve violence. However, the limited success in implementing DDR is well documented and few studies have found evidence of impact (Blattman and Ralston, 2015). Ex-combatants are not a homogenous group and for some, returning to their home communities is not possible. This means that like many others displaced by conflict, ex-combatants may migrate to urban areas. Urban settlements usually have a higher concentration of economic opportunities and offer more anonymity and social mobility than in their home communities (Peters, 2007).

This paper discusses the specific phenomenon of ex-combatant migration to urban areas following a conflict and asks what kind of reintegration opportunities urban areas can provide. Drawing on secondary sources, this paper takes Sierra Leone and South Sudan as case studies and examines the barriers and opportunities which migration to urban centres presents for ex-combatants needing to establish civilian life. Focusing on their access to work in their host city, this paper aims to compare research into employment support programmes in developing cities with studies of ex-combatant reintegration. Focusing on ex-combatants access to work, this paper asks whether DDR programmes could be effective in supporting ex-combatants, businesses, and city governments to improve urban economic opportunities and so facilitate a productive reintegration process and stronger post-conflict economy.