Transitional Subjects: The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Former Combatants in Colombia

A key component of peace processes and postconflict reconstructionis the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) ofex-combatants. DDR programs imply multiple transitions: fromthe combatants who lay down their weapons, to the governmentsthat seek an end to armed conflict, to the communities thatreceive – or reject – these demobilized fighters.At each level, these transitions imply a complex and dynamicequation between the demands of peace and the clamor for justice.And yet, traditional approaches to DDR have focused almost exclusivelyon military and security objectives, which in turn has resultedin these programs being developed in relative isolation fromthe growing field of transitional justice and its concerns withhistorical clarification, justice, reparations and reconciliation.The author draws upon research in Colombia, a case of greatinterest because the government is attempting to implement mechanismsof reparations and reconciliation in a ‘pre-postconflict’context, and to implement DDR on the terrain of transitionaljustice.