Problems continue at DDR sites

Rioting at the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) camps in Lungi, just outside Freetown, and Port Loko - northeast of the Sierra Leonean capital - is now a regular occurrence, OCHA reported on 12 January. “Incidents of rioting are now a routine at the DDR camps at Lungi and Port Loko and are apparently due to poor administration, non-disbursement of dues and, in some cases, in-fighting between different groups,” OCHA said in its latest humanitarian update. A group of 500 newly-arrived ex-combatants started a riot at the Port Loko camp on 11 January, according to a humanitarian source in Freetown. “A prerequisite of the DDR programme is that those wishing to enrol need to hand over a weapon,” the source told IRIN. “This group arrived with hand grenades and so were not eligible.” When the ex-combatants reacted by rioting, the camp managers decided to accept them on the programme, the source said. Francis Kaikai, acting executive secretary of the government’s DDR programme, told IRIN he was aware of the incident but was unable to provide any further details. “The problem has been resolved,” a UN source told IRIN.