Post-conflict Rehabilitation Research Articles

Influence of Socio-Economic Factors on Performance of Road Construction Projects: A Case of Berbera Corridor Road Section between Hargeisa and Berbera

Road projects play a very significant role in post conflict rehabilitation and consolidation of peace and economic stability, growth and development of communities. The Berbera corrido is one of the multimillion projects relevant and important to research. It promotes connectivity of areas internally and across the borders. The study aimed to assess the economic performance of road construction projects on the Berbera Corridor road section between Hargeisa and Berbera, taking into account the socio-economic factors that influenced the performance of these projects. The objectives of the study were; to find out the socio-economic impact of the Berbera-Hargeisa; the socio economic factors that influenced the performance of the Berbera road development project; to assess the best practices used by the Berbera road development contractors between Hargeisa and Berbera. The key questions answered are the socioeconomic impacts of road development in the Berbera Corridor road section between Hargeisa and Berbera the socio-economic factors driving performance of road construction projects in the region as well as best practices used on road development of the Berbera Corridor road section between Hargeisa and Berbera. The study focused on communities traversed by Berbera Corridor, road section of Berbera and Hargeisa cities. Responses were also elicited from the project team, the ministry of public works and road Construction agency of Somaliland and Dubai Port World staff for their oversight and funding of the road project. The theories and models that informed the study were; the best value procurement model and Project logic. Findings revealed that effectiveness, efficiency and impact created by the Berbera road section between the port and the capital city. Social influence on health and environment safety and accidents increased in the short run. However, the economic measures and controls used led to completion of the road and reduced the travel time. Accidents reduced though after the road completed despite people not following the user precautions. Significantly, factors such as price, quality of staff, cultural issues, economic benefits and value anticipated by communities and implementers enabled performance of projects in regard to finish time, reduced accidents and business activities.

Kadınların Şiddetteki Rolü ve Birleşmiş Milletler’in Kadın, Barış ve Güvenlik Gündemi

The UN’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda emphasizes women’s victimhood and peacemaking roles. However, women participate in two-thirds of armed movements and affect conflict outcomes in unique gendered ways. This article argues that excluding female perpetrators from the WPS agenda generates new insecurities for them and broader societies. By highlighting women’s contribution to perpetuating conflict, I propose a framework to incite policymakers to view women’s empowerment as a mainstream security concern and implement policies aligned with the goals of the UN WPS Agenda. First, I explore reasons to avoid reinforcing gender norms that portray women as victims and peacemakers. These reasons encompass assessing: 1) women’s contributions to armed organizations, 2) their exclusion from post-conflict rehabilitation programs, 3) the limited visibility of human rights violations by women and the underrepresentation of male civilians as victims, and 4) “saving vulnerable women” rhetoric as a justification for Western power involvement. Then, I examine gender inequality as a fundamental cause enabling these factors, underscoring the need to regard gender inequality and traditional gender norms as central security concerns.

The Impact of Civilians Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) on Post-Conflict Security in South Sudan

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the significance of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) interventions in post-conflict rehabilitation, specifically focusing on their role in ensuring sustainable peace and security sector reforms in South Sudan.
 Methodology: This study employed a comprehensive approach to evaluate the impact of DDR programs in South Sudan. It involved a critical review of academic literature, reports, mitigation programs, and credible news sources from reputable organizations to assess the effectiveness of DDR initiatives in promoting long-term peace and stability.
 Findings: The findings underscored the crucial function of DDR programs in post-conflict security within South Sudan. They highlighted the positive effects of DDR interventions in fostering reconciliation, curbing arms proliferation, and facilitating the successful reintegration of former combatants into society.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study will contribute to both theoretical understanding and practical implementation by emphasizing the indispensable role of consistent international support for DDR initiatives in fragile post-conflict environments like South Sudan. It recommended continued investment in DDR programs to sustain peace-building efforts and enhance security sector reforms in the region.

Post-conflict Rehabilitation: Understanding the Role of Civil-Military Cooperation in Supporting Child Protection Units (CPUs) in Newly Merged Districts (NMDs), Pakistan

Post-conflict Rehabilitation: Understanding the Role of Civil-Military Cooperation in Supporting Child Protection Units (CPUs) in Newly Merged Districts (NMDs), Pakistan

Detection and mapping of artillery craters with very high spatial resolution satellite imagery and deep learning

Unexploded munitions are some of the most enduring remnants of conflicts around the world. Their effects on the economy, health, environment, and post-conflict rehabilitation are long reaching and devastating for the areas they plague. With the advancements in very high spatial resolution (VHR) satellite multispectral imaging at sub-meter resolution, it becomes possible to detect object attributes at the scale of individual impacts (craters) of heavy weapon shelling. Manual identification and delineation of artillery craters in satellite imagery is time and resource consuming, especially when large territories and volumes of VHR data are considered. Therefore, automatic image processing methods should be explored. Here, we evaluate the application of a deep learning approach for identifying and mapping artillery craters in agricultural fields in Eastern Ukraine during the onset of armed conflict in 2014. The model was applied to pansharpened multispectral VHR imagery acquired by the WorldView-2 satellite at 0.5-m spatial resolution. The model can detect artillery craters with producer's accuracy (PA) (or recall) of 0.671 and user's accuracy (UA) (or precision) of 0.392 in terms of crater area and shape, and PA of 0.559 and UA of 0.427 in terms of binary crater identification. The model's performance is dependent on crater size. Reliability of crater detection and mapping improves as the size of craters increases. For example, for craters larger than 60 m2 PA is 0.803 and UA is 0.449 (per-pixel), and PA is 0.891 and UA is 0.721 (per-object). Overall, the model prioritizes PA over UA, i.e., omission error over commission error, and is better at detecting craters than their shapes. We applied the trained model to a separate, 858 km2 subregion of Donetsk oblast to automatically estimate and map the locations, number and area of artillery craters. Our estimates revealed over 22,000 craters in the subregion, which occupy an area of 1.2 km2, or 0.14% of the region, primarily in agricultural fields. The availability of such crater maps is extremely valuable within demining and chemical decontamination efforts and can assist in assessing the impact of warfare on agriculture and the environment. We outline the current limitations of the proposed approach and avenues for further research for improving artillery crater detection and mapping.

An analytical framework for household entitlement assessment in civil war.

Amartya Sen, the economist and philosopher, defines entitlement as command over resources that permits a household to have access to essential goods and services to sustain life within legal and established social norms and practices. Entitlement failure occurs when a household's command over all available combinations of resources does not ensure sufficient provisions of food to avoid starvation. This paper provides an overview of the literature on causal relations between civil war and household entitlements. It suggests a conceptual framework for empirically analysing the ramifications of armed political conflict on household entitlements. In addition, it develops a composite index as a tool to investigate the effect of civil war on household entitlements and to guide policy in the context of conflict-related international humanitarian interventions. The paper's key contribution is to suggest an empirical framework for quantitative measurement of the impact of civil war on household entitlements and to improve targeting criteria in post-conflict rehabilitation efforts.

Cango Lyec (Healing the Elephant): Probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in Northern Uganda five years after a violent conflict

BackgroundFrom 1986 to 2006, Northern Uganda experienced an atrocious civil war between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government. Acholi people living in the region continue to be impacted by trauma sequelae of the war and a wide range of daily stressors including poverty, hunger, and high rates of HIV infection. To date, there is a dearth of gender-differentiated mental health research in this post-conflict setting. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in three districts most affected by the Northern Ugandan conflict and examine socio-structural, war-related, and sexual vulnerability factors associated with mental health. MethodsCango Lyec (Healing the Elephant) is an open cohort study involving participants from eight randomly selected communities in Amuru, Gulu, and Nwoya districts of Northern Uganda. Between November 2011 and July 2012, the baseline cohort (N = 2,458) completed the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) for screening PTSD and depression, in addition to a detailed questionnaire assessing socio-demographic-behavioral characteristics. Baseline categorical variables were compared between males and females using Fisher's exact test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model correlates of probable PTSD and depression. All analyses were stratified by gender. ResultsThe overall prevalence of probable PTSD and depression was 11.7% and 15.2% respectively. Among former abductees, the prevalence was 23.2% for probable PTSD and 26.6% for probable depression. Women were significantly more likely to experience mental distress than men. Factors associated with mental distress included wartime trauma (adjusted odds ratios ranging from 2.80 to 7.19), experiences of abduction (adjusted odds ratios ranging from 1.97 to 3.03), and lack of housing stability and safety (adjusted odds ratios ranging from 1.95 to 4.59). Additional risk factors for women included HIV infection (AOR=1.90; 95% CI: 1.29–2.80), sexual abuse in the context of war (AOR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.02–2.45), and intimate partner violence (AOR=2.45; 95% CI: 1.07–5.63). ConclusionCango Lyec participants displayed lower than previously reported yet significant levels of probable PTSD and depression. Based on findings from this study, providing trauma-informed care, ensuring food and housing security, eliminating gender-based violence, and reintegrating former abductees remain important tasks to facilitate post-conflict rehabilitation in Northern Uganda.

Analyzing long-term impacts of counterinsurgency tools in civil wars: A case study of enforced disappearances in Algeria

Background: The decade long civil war that struck Algeria in the 90s still has strong impacts on the Algerian society today. This article aims at describing how mass human rights violations committed by state actors have repercussions on far more than just the direct victims, which complicates post-war recovery and should be considered during the elaboration of any transitional justice process. Method: Interviews conducted among mothers, brothers and wives of individuals that were taken by state actors and have disappeared since then were analyzed to understand the impact enforced disappearances can have on more than the direct victims. Results: The study of the Algerian experience with enforced disappearances shows that the victimizations that result from enforced disappearances are multi-level and long-term. Discussion: Any post-conflict rehabilitation process that comes after such mass inhuman treatments that aspires to be complete and truly contribute to social well-being needs to also take into consideration secondary level victims, which represent family members of the direct victims, as well as third level victims, which represent the societal and collective memory impacts that result from the use of human rights violation mechanisms by state actors.

Authoritarian Governance and Ambiguous Religious Policy: An Uncertain Future for Covenantal Pluralism in Tajikistan

The former Soviet Central Asian republic of Tajikistan has witnessed a conflictual political and social transformation after 1991 leading to a devastating civil war between 1992 and 1997. After the civil war, international efforts of liberal peacebuilding and post-conflict rehabilitation allowed a domestic détente, in which political and, importantly, religious pluralism could flourish unprecedently for the standards of the country. Still, this form of pluralism did not meet the ideal standards of covenantal pluralism as such. In the past decade, moreover, Tajikistan has gradually turned into a consolidated autocracy in which even formal pluralism is suspended. Authoritarian governance, especially in the sphere of religion, has aggravated societal divides and undermined social cohesion in the country. Although the short-term prospects for pluralism in general and covenantal pluralism in particular are dim, a differentiated perspective on the ideal of covenantal pluralism in the longue durée might provide possible starting points for meaningful engagement in Tajikistan bridging religious, societal, and political divides.

The Need for Post-Conflict Rehabilitation: A Psycho-social Approach towards Curbing Extremism in Pakistan


 
 
 Violent extremism (VE) has emerged as one of the most serious subjects in the contemporary world. A significant issue concerning extremism is the psychological rehabilitation of both the victims and the witnesses of violent extremist acts. This study aims to elucidate the psychological state of the surviving victims and witnesses of violent extremism and their current psychosocial stressors in Pakistan. The objective of the study is to investigate if the cycle of extremism perpetuates through victimization due to lack of post-conflict rehabilitation. Methodologically, the paper is based on the quantitative psychometric evaluation according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale scoring on the victims of VE. This method is widely used for clinical and research practices. This study was carried out in two phases; the pilot phase measured the alpha reliability of the BDI through SPSS, while the main study identified the psychosocial stressors, according to DSM IV, and through history taking. A group of 70 victims of VE in Pakistan, were drawn through convenience sampling. Secondary data comprised of the published literature on post- conflict rehabilitation in Pakistan. According to the findings obtained through BDI scoring of research, most of the VE victims suffer from severe depression and exhibit the tendencies of extreme anger and vengeful behaviour. Such tendencies have made them more prone to engaging in a future conflict. The psychosocial stressors following the acts of extremism further contributed to their depressive state and heightened aggression towards society. The study strongly suggests that there is a dire need for the allocation of resources by the government and relevant authorities, to build post-conflict rehabilitation frameworks in order to sabotage the perpetual cycle of the spread of extremism through victimization. Anti-extremism policy recommendations are also provided based on the findings of the study.
 
 

Post-conflict infrastructure rehabilitation requirements

Post-disaster relief and reconstruction are always complex and challenging, requiring an integrated infrastructure and community rehabilitation process. These challenges are even more pronounced in post-conflict situations, where combatants must be reintegrated into normal community life, reconciliation progressed and confidence in institutions restored. When the conflict is prolonged, the transition to normalcy is yet more challenging to a generation or more of the working-age population who have not experienced normal working life prior to the conflict. As integrated systems, the infrastructure needs not only to be rehabilitated within the overall rehabilitation of society but also to provide a vehicle to facilitate the reintegration of the population and the socio-economic transition of the productive capacity of society. Infrastructure rehabilitation is as much about how it is used and owned by the community as the restoration of functionality. This paper explores the nature of post-conflict rehabilitation today, discusses how the existing transition paradigms apply and identifies how the paradigms may better deliver post-conflict infrastructure rehabilitation.

The Role of Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) in Post-Conflict Rehabilitation: Lessons from Liberia


 
 
 In the aftermath of the violent conflict in Liberia, the issue of post- conflict rehabilitation took center stage, with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) deeply involved in an elaborate post-conflict rehabilitation program in the country. Through the use of content analysis, this paper explores the involvement of ECOWAS in post-conflict rehabilitation in Liberia in the context of the devastating consequences of violent conflicts that the country experienced. In specific terms, it highlights key lessons learnt from the ECOWAS intervention in Liberia, as part of its mandate for peace, security and stability in the region.
 
 

The American Schools of Oriental Research Cultural Heritage Initiatives: Monitoring Cultural Heritage in Syria and Northern Iraq by Geospatial Imagery

The American Schools of Oriental Research Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASOR CHI) continues to address the cultural heritage crisis in Syria and Northern Iraq by: (1) monitoring, reporting, and fact-finding; (2) promoting global awareness; and (3) conducting emergency response projects and developing post-conflict rehabilitation plans. As part of this mission, ASOR CHI, through a public–government collaboration with the United States of America (US) Department of State, has been provided with access to hundreds of thousands of satellite images, some within 24 h of the image being taken, in order to assess reports of damage to cultural heritage sites, to discover unreported damage, and to evaluate the impacts of such incidents. This work is being done across an inventory of over 13,000 cultural heritage sites in the affected regions. The available dataset of satellite imagery is significantly larger than the scales that geospatial specialists within archaeology have dealt with in the past. This has necessitated a rethinking of how the project uses satellite imagery and how ASOR CHI and future projects can more effectively undertake the important work of cultural heritage monitoring and damage assessment.

Remembering Collective Violence: Broadening the Notion of Traumatic Memory in Post-Conflict Rehabilitation.

In the aftermath of war and armed conflict, individuals and communities face the challenge of dealing with recollections of violence and atrocity. This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of processes of remembering and forgetting histories of violence in post-conflict communities and to reflect on related implications for trauma rehabilitation in post-conflict settings. Starting from the observation that memory operates at the core of PTSD symptomatology, we more closely explore how this notion of traumatic memory is conceptualized within PTSD-centered research and interventions. Subsequently, we aim to broaden this understanding of traumatic memory and post-trauma care by connecting to findings from social memory studies and transcultural trauma research. Drawing on an analysis of scholarly literature, this analysis develops into a perspective on memory that moves beyond a symptomatic framing toward an understanding of memory that emphasizes its relational, political, moral, and cultural nature. Post-conflict memory is presented as inextricably embedded in communal relations, involving ongoing trade-offs between individual and collective responses to trauma and a complex negotiation of speech and silence. In a concluding discussion, we develop implications of this broadened understanding for post-conflict trauma-focused rehabilitation.

The role and place of international organizations in the settlement of armed conflicts in the southeast of Ukraine (legal aspects)

Problem setting. Armed conflict in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions led to significant losses as personnel of military units and special law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and civilian casualties Ukraine. Under these conditions, according to most politicians and political scientists to modern standards of international law crisis management in Ukraine is possible only through the mediation of international organizations. International organizations have a tool for early detection, warning and conflict prevention and crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, they are engaged in a wide range of security issues, including arms control, preventive diplomacy, confidence-building measures, human rights, monitoring elections, economic and environmental security and so on. Recent research and publications analysis. In the literature of recent years certain issues affecting the regulatory and legal framework of international organizations in the field of security. However, scientific research towards the place and role of international organizations in resolving the internal armed conflict in research paid insufficient attention. Paper objective. The article is to examine the nature of international security organizations, evaluating the effectiveness of their work to resolve the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions and providing relevant proposals. Paper main body. The primary place in the order of settlement of the armed conflict in the South East Ukraine has a key intergovernmental international organizations dealing with peace and security in the world – the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The new National Security Strategy of Ukraine of 05.06.2015 p. Indicated that the aggression of Russia against Ukraine increased the urgency of reforming the Security Council. As part of the UN General Assembly will focus the government of Ukraine will support such initiatives to reform the UN Security Council, which will provide an adequate response to its violations of international law, even if the offender is a permanent member of this body. The main role in resolving the armed conflict currently owned OSCE. The feature is the presence of its field operations acting directly in some participating States, upon request and provide necessary assistance. Decisions in the OSCE adopt by consensus. Currently, there is a problem in meeting the personal safety of observers. The forces of law and order are the following main objectives: personal safety SMM OSCE during their surveillance in the territory controlled by Ukraine; support the SMM OSCE in the demilitarized zone with the ability to provide shelter in special equipment and engineering facilities in the alleged attacks; property protection equipment and CMM OSCE in their locations of the territory controlled by Ukraine. Conclusions of the research. The only security support among international organizations in the settlement of the armed conflict in the South East of Ukraine (except for economic sanctions against the aggressor country) is an unarmed civilian OSCE SMM. OSCE needs serious reform, the creation of a new model of its operation, which takes into account the new situation in Europe, the dramatic changes the security environment, the emergence of new challenges and threats. Areas for further scientific studies will be used to research legal and organizational-tactical bases of improvement of international organizations in resolving the armed conflict.

Preventing gender-based violence engendered by conflict: The case of Côte d'Ivoire

Despite a growing awareness of the increased prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings, much less is known about the dynamics, as well as the interventions that would be effective at individual, relational, and structural levels. In addition to the human capital lost by conflict violence, gender-based violence (GBV) poses a grave threat to the post-conflict rehabilitation process. With regard to violence that occurs during and post conflict, research must take into consideration the different types of violence that share similar causes as the larger conflict as well as become widespread as a result of the conflict and use existing frameworks to build future interventions. Researchers are trying to understand the interplay of personal, situational, and socio-cultural factors in conflict settings that combine to cause GBV and lead to guidelines for program planning to address the health and social needs of survivors as well as to prevent further GBV. These actions result from a growing recognition that violence represents a serious public health problem, is an important cause of many physical and psychological illnesses, and can cause social disruptions that impede reconstruction efforts for generations. This review studies the manifestations of GBV during and following the Ivoirian Civil War, juxtaposes them against narratives, as well as lists relevant interventions at the individual, relational, community, and institutional levels. Part of a growing literature that aims to better understand the nature of violence during and after conflict and to plan effective responses to it, this study hopes to suggest solutions for the situation of Côte d'Ivoire and elsewhere.

The inter-section of political history and health policy in Asia – The historical foundations for health policy analysis

One of the challenges for health reform in Asia is the diverse set of socio-economic and political structures, and the related variability in the direction and pace of health systems and policy reform. This paper aims to make comparative observations and analysis of health policy reform in the context of historical change, and considers the implications of these findings for the practice of health policy analysis. We adopt an ecological model for analysis of policy development, whereby health systems are considered as dynamic social constructs shaped by changing political and social conditions. Utilizing historical, social scientific and health literature, timelines of health and history for five countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, Mongolia, North Korea and Timor Leste) are mapped over a 30–50 year period. The case studies compare and contrast key turning points in political and health policy history, and examines the manner in which these turning points sets the scene for the acting out of longer term health policy formation, particularly with regard to the managerial domains of health policy making. Findings illustrate that the direction of health policy reform is shaped by the character of political reform, with countries in the region being at variable stages of transition from monolithic and centralized administrations, towards more complex management arrangements characterized by a diversity of health providers, constituency interest and financing sources. The pace of reform is driven by a country's institutional capability to withstand and manage transition shocks of post conflict rehabilitation and emergence of liberal economic reforms in an altered governance context. These findings demonstrate that health policy analysis needs to be informed by a deeper understanding and questioning of the historical trajectory and political stance that sets the stage for the acting out of health policy formation, in order that health systems function optimally along their own historical pathways.

Syria: What should health care professionals do?

Syria: What should health care professionals do?

Osce Engagement in the Conflict Circle in Kyrgyzstan

This article examines the osce engagement in conflict cycle during June 2010 events in the south of Kyrgyzstan. osce has been actively involved in conflict cycle’s main segment areas, such as early warning, conflict management and post-conflict rehabilitation in Kyrgyzstan. Although there are certain critical observations to be made concerning osce effectiveness and efficiency in its engagement strategy, commitment to be present and to perform adequately on the part of the Organization has been firm. osce is fully capable of strengthening its’ potential for better crisis prevention in Kyrgyzstan. A solid, long-term prioritization of conflict cycle is needed not only on the part of osce, but also from all other key international actors.

Rebuilding the Angolan body politic: Global and local projections of identity and protest in O Herói/The Hero (Zézé Gamboa, 2004)

This article uses a reading of Zézé Gamboa's award-winning 2004 feature as a basis for an exploration of post-conflict Angolan screen culture and of its impact both at home and internationally. It considers how O Heri's depiction of a war-torn nation, and of the impediments to its reconstruction, negotiates between a socially-engaged film-making practice, informed by local tradition and the tenets of 'Third Cinema', and the demands of a globalised cinema market. The film achieves this compromise by deploying allegorical and symbolic tropes, familiar from the literature, cinema, and political discourse of the era of Angolan liberation (notably, the concept of a socialist 'new man'), to complicate a superficially optimistic story of post-conflict rehabilitation, and to insinuate a critique of the authoritarian practices and neo-liberal policies of the MPLA government. Further to this, the article identifies strategies through which the film advertises the gulf between its fiction of individual triumph over adversity and, on the other hand, the grimmer reality of Angola's post-conflict malaise. Finally, it considers how the film's construction of an encrypted allegory also prompts the question of whether or not film production that depends upon the funding and agendas of international capital and neo-colonial powers can ever foster the resurgence of a genuinely 'popular' and progressive culture in post-conflict Angola.