Security Sector Reform and Conflict  | | These soldiers found and disarmed explosives left
from Rwanda's civil war. With USAID's support, most
mined areas were cleared. USAID then helped
train civilian security forces to provide basic law
enforcement. Photo courtesy of USAID/Thomas
O'Keefe | The Issues
The international community currently faces many challenges concerning reform of the security sector in countries with ongoing, major development projects. These issues span the full range of development activities, from the military and economic to the social and political. They include weak or ineffective police or military forces, lack of civilian or democratic systems of oversight, inequitable access to justice, the prevalence of arms in post-conflict settings, loose or no border controls, and threats from domestic and transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups.
Promoting peace and security is a fundamental pillar of development, and efforts to promote security sector reform are critical for achieving sustainable economic, social and political progress. The four sectors of security sector reform are police, small arms/light weapons; reintegration; and civil/military relations. Security sector reform means not only the protection of states from military threats but also efforts to improve judicial and penal systems, reorient police and similar bodies, and upgrade the ability of elected and appointed civil authorities, such as legislatures and the Executive and the Defense Ministries, to provide oversight and civilian control.
Our Work
Civil or internal conflicts affect nearly two-thirds of the countries where USAID works. There is growing demand - from Missions, from partners - to begin to think more systematically and strategically about how to address the causes and consequences of widespread deadly violence and insecurity. In order to meet the diversified challenges of security sector reform, the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation (DCHA/CMM) is helping to ensure that USAID's policies focus on developing a more coherent and effective response that utilizes all foreign assistance tools at its disposal to stop state failure and prevent the threats to security and development. DCHA/CMM helps missions identify the causes of violence and destabilizing factors in countries and tries to identify how missions can work on security sector reform.
For example, DCHA/CMM has helped missions fund security sector programs such as reintegration programs in the DRC and Eriteria. While statutory prohibitions prevent USAID from working with soldiers unless it is credible to believe that they will not rearm, DCHA/CMM looks for opportunities for USAID missions to reintegrate ex-combatants once they have turned in their weapons and are no longer in the military.
In the area of police, DCHA/CMM funds community policing programs. For example, a conflict assessment in El Salvador concluded that a primary concern was that the government has not been able to address the immediate needs of its citizens, and that lack of personal security is among the most pressing public issue there. For the past several years USAID, through DOJ, has supported efforts to establish and improve community policing practices. Increased police presence in the community and better communication among officers has improved their response and has been key to establishing public trust.
While USAID faces a number of constraints in security sector efforts, DCHA/CMM believes that it is important to recognize the critical assets and experience that USAID has already gained in this area through the continuation of research and its toolkits, and to identify where the agency might be poised to add additional value within a coordinated USG response.
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