From Civilians to Soldiers and from Soldiers to Civilians: Mobilization and Demobilization in Sudan

A fascinating and disturbing study of the entrances and exits of boys and men involved on all sides of the armed conflict in Sudan, providing a vivid insight into the dynamics of the civil war. Drawing on extensive research and personal accounts, this hard-hitting study investigates the processes of mobilization and demobilization of fighters from all the involved factions during the long-drawn civil war in Sudan. Why do civilians, at some point or other during an armed conflict, decide to participate in the violence of the war? What are the consequences of becoming part of a guerilla movement

Drawing on extensive research and personal accounts, this hard-hitting study investigates the processes of mobilization and demobilization of fighters from all factions during the long, drawn out civil war in Sudan. Through in-depth interviews with current and former combatants in Sudan Saskia Baas investigates how civilians get drawn into the conflict and what the deep consequences are for becoming part of a guerilla movement. The resulting narrative is fascinating and disturbing, while providing vivid insight into the dynamics of civil war that are relevant to conflicts all over the world. From Civilians to Soldiers and from Soldiers to Civilians will appeal to political scientists, military historians, and nonacademic audiences interested in the conflict in Sudan.

3 Becoming a soldier3.1 Introduction; 3.2 Integration and cohesion; 3.3 Soldier life; 3.4 Opportunities and stratification; 3.5 Getting out and staying in; 3.6 Comparison: affiliation to movements inEastern Sudan; 3.7 Conclusions; 4 At war's end; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Background: negotiations and peace; 4.3 Peace policies in the SPLA; 4.4 Through the eyes of the fighters; 4.5 Comparison: peace in the East; 4.6 Conclusions; 5 DDR policies and realities in Sudan; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 DDR policy under the CPA; 5.3 DDR policy under the ESPA (Eastern Sudan); 5.4 Conclusions; Concluding remarks.

1 From Civilians to Soldiers andfrom Soldiers to Civilians - 2 Acknowledgements - 12 List of acronyms - 13 1 Introduction - 14 1.1 Explaining civil war - 14 1.2 Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration(DDR) - 20 1.3 Research among (former) fighters in Sudan - 23 1.4 Overview of the book and key findings - 36 2 Recruitment - 38 2.1 Independence, war, peace and the foundation ofthe SPLA - 38 2.1 Organizing a rebellion: strategies of mobilizationand recruitment - 47 2.2 On the individual level: contexts of recruitment - 49 2.3 Comparison: Recruitment among movements inEastern Sudan - 86 2.4 Conclusion: why do men rebel?2.4.1 - 94 3 Becoming a soldier - 98 3.1 Introduction - 98 3.2 Integration and cohesion - 98 3.3 Soldier life - 104 3.4 Opportunities and stratification - 118 3.5 Getting out and staying in - 130 3.6 Comparison: affiliation to movements inEastern Sudan - 133 3.7 Conclusions - 141 4 At war's end - 144 4.1 Introduction - 144 4.2 Background: negotiations and peace - 145 4.3 Peace policies in the SPLA - 149 4.4 Through the eyes of the fighters - 154 4.5 Comparison: peace in the East - 168 4.6 Conclusions - 174 5 DDR policies and realities in Sudan - 178 5.1 Introduction - 178 5.2 DDR policy under the CPA - 179 5.3 DDR policy under the ESPA (Eastern Sudan) - 197 5.4 Conclusions - 201 Concluding remarks - 204