"The war is over, it's time for peace," says a white-bearded Othman, one of the first Sudanese ex-fighters to take part in the world's largest disarmament and demobilisation programme. "I will now become a farmer because there will be no more war," said the former Sudanese army soldier who fought during Africa's longest-running civil war between the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian and animist south.
The 22-year war, in which two million people died and four million were displaced, ended with a 2005 peace deal which offers the south the possibility of secession in 2011. Now, 180,000 former fighters -- from north and south -- will pass through the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, abandon their battle fatigues and re-enter civilian life.
The biggest programme of its kind ever, it will take several years and hundreds of millions of dollars to complete, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) says. A first batch of 15 soldiers and former militia members is taking part in a ceremony to mark their return to civilian life in Al-Damazin, in Blue Nile state around 500 kilometres (350 miles) south of Khartoum.
"Some of my friends think I made the right choice, but others don't. They think it (the DDR programme) is not concrete. Their perception might change now," said a former militia medic, who gave his name only as Suada. "I feel good and I don't want to remember the past," says Ibaaid, 25, a former child soldier looking to rebuild his life.
--'We must find economic opportunities -- The former fighters must hand over their weapons to either the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) or the northern Sudanese Armed Forces. In return, they receive a civilian identity card, several months' supply of food, and cash. The aim is to retrain the former fighters with a new skill that will set them up for their new life.
"It won't be easy, but we'll succeed," says William Deng Deng, head of south Sudan's DDR commission. "We must find economic opportunities for each and every one of them.".
Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, both sides undertook to reduce their respective armed forces, which are largely financed by profits from Sudan's 400,000-barrel-per-day oil exports. But as the world financial crisis has driven down the price of oil, both north and south have been deprived of much of their revenue, accelerating the process of soldiers demobilising or retiring.
"With the economic crisis, the southern army, the SPLA, has had to cut its budget by 50 percent. So they've been forced to show some soldiers the door, which puts pressure on the DDR programme," says UNMIS's Adriaan Verheul.
At a meeting on Monday in Juba, donors pledged 88.3 million dollars to support re-integration, the third phase of the programme. The EU contributed 22 million dollars and Britain 29 million dollars for the coming year. In a joint statement, the UN, donors and Sudan's National DDR Co-ordinating Council said more funds were needed.
"Additional voluntary contributions are urgently needed from the international community to cover the reintegration costs," it said. But the disarmament programme does not address the myriad small auto-defence units that continue to reign over much of south Sudan, where gun culture prevails. And it will face some of its toughest challenge in still-disputed central areas claimed by both north and south, such as the oil-rich Abyei region where fierce fighting erupted last year.
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