The dynamics of demobilizing under friendly governments: The Contras, the Paras, and DDR

Between a ceasefire and peace, there is a gray area which contributes to whether a cessation of hostilities will be sustainable or whether there will be a reversion to conflict. Although disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) is not a peace process, successful execution of these three elements will make peace more likely and sustainable. Therefore, DDR is a very vulnerable stage of the transition from war to peace. What complicates DDR further is that it is not a uniform process. The characteristics of the armed groups and the governments involved have a great impact on the DDR program. Nicaragua and Colombia are representative cases of right-wing insurgent groups demobilizing under conservative, friendly governments in Latin America in the recent past. So, the DDR of the Contras and the Paras under the Chamorro and Uribe administrations offer insight into the dynamics of a "right-right" demobilization.