Mine action and the reintegration of former combatants: expanding the debate

HUMANICEMOS DH was created in 2017, following the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It is the first and only mine action organisation solely comprised of former combatants. Can this model be implemented elsewhere? What are the benefits and challenges of integrating mine action and reintegration of former combatants?

In an article co-authored with Laurie Druelle and Eric Mellado ?hlin, we explore the integration between humanitarian mine action (HMA) and disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) processes. We seek to identify areas where DDR and HMA intersect and, supported by anecdotal evidence, suggest a theoretical framework for future research and implementation. Most importantly, we hope to widen the debate on the potentially synergic relationship between HMA and DDR, flag possible fallacies or oversimplifications and challenge solely “top-down” approaches. ?

The article has just been published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction and can be found in full here.