‘A baby who does not cry will not be suckled’: AMODEG and the reintegration of demobilised soldiers

Abstract

This article investigates the politics of the Mozambican demobilised soldiers’ association (the Associação Moçambicana dos Desmobilizados da Guerra, AMODEG). On the basis of interviews and press reports, I explore AMODEG's appeals and strategy, as well as the association's relationship with the government, donors and its own members. I argue that AMODEG has a considerable degree of independence from the state, derived from its ability to appeal to the international community for financial resources, and from its capacity to mobilise its members and raise fears of instability and violence. AMODEG has made some positive contributions to the reintegration of ex‐soldiers by channelling their demands politically and providing an alternative to banditry and crime. However, AMODEG's dependence on donor and state funding has undermined its capacity to represent the interests of its members. I thus follow other scholars in questioning the potential for civil society — in the form of associations such as AMODEG — to constrain state power and promote democratic reforms in Mozambique.