armed groups – to postpone the implementation of transitional justice in favor
of temporary amnesty, and this approach paid large dividends.
The DDRR program succeeded in disarming and demobilizing 101,449
combatants, and it collected 61,918 weapons and 6,486,136 units of ammunition.
Throughout execution of the DDRR program, UNMIL disposed of the collected
ordinance, and it worked to seal off Liberia's borders from outside interference.
An early threat to the DDRR program surfaced during a 10-day period in
December 2003. Significant riots broke out at one of the DDRR sites (Camp
Schefflin), posing a major threat to the UNMIL contingent there. Consequently,
UNMIL put a halt to the DDRR program. However, within four months, once
additional UN peacekeepers were on the ground, UNMIL re-energized the
program and resumed execution in full force. That persistence gave a reassuring
message to the Liberian government, and to all Liberians, that disarmament,
demobilization, and peacebuilding were moving forward and that momentum
would be maintained. The pace of disarmament and demobilization picked up
quickly.
Similarly, persistence in "maintaining momentum" kept the crucial 2005 Liberian
presidential elections on schedule. In opposition, many senior statesmen, interim
government officials, and potential candidates had pushed hard for holding party
conventions and for rewriting the constitution in advance of any elections.
However, their motives may have been self-serving – to prolong their time in
office/exposure, or even to have an opportunity to divert resources (funds from
the February 2004 donor conference) for their personal gains rather than for the
good of Liberia. Fortunately, the UN, U.S., and certain key leaders in Liberia
stood firm on keeping the November 2005 elections on schedule. This resulted
in the first female head of state for Africa (Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson), but more
importantly resulted in a new, legitimate government recognized by the vast
majority of all Liberians – to establish and uphold the rule of law.
To consolidate a "monopoly of force" for this new government to uphold the rule
of law, the UN, U.S., and leadership involved took the approach of integrating
DDR and SSR in the transformation of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL). The
UN worked the "Disarmament" piece – as it systematically disarmed the legacy
national military force. The U.S. simultaneously worked the "Demobilization and
Reintegration" pieces, while at the same time restructuring and reforming the
national military force. The entire DDR/SSR program included recruiting, vetting,
training, equipping, fielding, sustaining and mentoring the new force. The
program also involved constructing new military bases across the country,
establishing a professional defense ministry, drafting a national defense strategy,
and redesigning the force structure. The point of intersection between DDR and
SSR was "reintegration" – the process of reincorporating as many appropriate
ex-combatants into the new military as possible. For the select few who were
able to pass the vetting process, "reintegration" not only gave them quick
employment in the new military, but also served to build trust (between former
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