Reintegrating members of militia into security forces may not work

The Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) says proposals of reintegrating members of militia into the security services may not work in its entirety.

Dr. Chukwuemeka B. Eze says the proposal is based on a wrong assumption that they all want to work in the security services.

He told Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Ghana Connect programme Friday that more option needs to be put on the table for those willing to leave the militia behind.

“For example, some of them may want to be with private security firms not necessarily state security firm…there should be options to allow them to make choices otherwise, they may decide to infiltrate the state security agencies.

The peacebuilding expert was contributing to a discussion on the President rally leadership of the two main political parties to end the menace of party militias as citizens grow apprehensive ahead of 2020 elections.

Speaking at his third State of the Nation Address in Parliament, he urged a meeting between the governing New Patriotic Party and the opposition National Democratic Congress.

He preferred the meeting next week where the two parties will “agree on appropriate measures to the worrying and unacceptable phenomenon.”

The President could not be wrong about the worrying activities of party militia following the first recorded death in 2019 linked to their activities.

Advising on the way forward, Dr Eze said the country can take a leaf out of the books of countries which have been through a similar experience.

He said tweaking the template for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), the first step to give those involved in party militia activities the assurance that they are not going to be prosecuted once they come out.

“Secondly, communities must be ready to accept them even if they have offended them in the past. Then, also, they need to be re-engaged…so the meeting should ensure ways to engage these people properly,”

He explained that the reengagement should not end up making the militia group members worse off saying that strategy did not work happen in the Niger Delta case.