Ex-militia members come up with creative ideas after oversees trips

Sitting with six fellow commanders, Mohammad Daud, a 45-year-old ex-militiaman shared his impressions of a recent trip to Japan, as the former combatants gathered to receive certificates of demobilisation in the capital, Kabul. Daud was a leading commander in the southeastern Paktia province, fighting against both the invading Soviet army and later against the Taliban over the past two decades. He is now planning to fight against poverty and illiteracy in his hometown of Jaji, a border district in south of Paktia. “We are already too late. The people of Japan collectively started rehabilitation of their country right after the World War II but we are not making any progress in the last three years that war has been over,” Daud said while his friends nodded in agreement, sharing Daud’s concerns. “I think, we should work on education and agriculture for a sustainable development,” he said. The ex-commander added that he was impressed with the agricultural and education systems in Japan when he visited Tokyo as part of a 10-day orientation trip organised by the UN-backed Afghanistan New Beginning Programme (ANBP), the official name of Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration of former combatants [DDR]. ANBP has launched an initiative under the Commanders Incentive Programme (CIP) which grants ex-militia commanders financial assistance, or may send them abroad for short visits to learn from other experiences of post-conflict reconstruction. Daud is one of 11 former militia commanders from different military units around the country, that have been sent to Japan in two groups so far. He said he was impressed with Japan’s forestation and industry, expressing deep concern that forests had disappeared in many parts of Afghanistan after decades of lawlessness and war. “Now let’s fight against those who cut the trees and make their business, let’s urge the local authorities and the tribal councils to encourage people to plant threes,” he told other commanders who were on the same visit to Japan. As part of the accelerated DDR plan, the UN and the Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD) designed the CIP scheme in late 2004 offering commanders like Daud a trip overseas or a financial redundancy package in return for the disarmament and demobilisation of their units. Many commanders had stalled the DDR process because before the incentive scheme, only their soldiers had benefited from the programme. Immediately after the CIP, the DDR process developed rapidly and so far more than 55,000 of the estimated 60,000 former militias have been disarmed. Under the scheme, commanders may receive up to US $500 per month for two years. They also have an option to go on an overseas trip but will not be entitled to the financial redundancy package. Japan, which is already supporting a large part of the DDR, is funding the $ 2.5 million CIP initiative. Under the programme, the military leaders may also opt for a one-off lump sum payment to be used to start a business. According to officials from ANBP, so far 103 commanders have benefited from the CIP and only 11 commanders like Daud have chosen foreign country visit than the financial assistance package. “I think many commanders have a lot of money. What we don’t have is a clear understanding of how to be active and productive in civilian life,” Daud said. In just two months following his return from Japan, Daud said he had already started a honeybee-keeping farm and an agricultural nursery project. “Many in Jaji have now followed me. We have said to make the area fresh and prosperous by planting new trees and by modernising the education system,” he said. ANBP said many other commanders are on the list for an oversees trip and they are discussing with Germany, United Arab Emirates [UAE], Malaysia, Indonesia and Poland the practicalities of their hosting the next group visit.