How ex-combatants talk about personal security. Narratives of former paramilitaries in Colombia

Previous literature on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) argues that a lack of personal security may lead ex-combatants to re-engage in violence. The present article takes a deeper look at what happens when ex-combatants are faced with insecure situations. More specifically, it asks about the narratives ex-combatants construct with relation to personal security. This article is based on 62 semi-structured interviews with former members of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC). After their demobilisation, 1385 ex-members of this paramilitary group have been killed between 2003 and 2010. In this climate of violence against the demobilised, many ex-combatants feel exposed to potential threats and claim to respond to these threats with anonymity, good citizenship or isolation. When faced with imminent threats, they mention relocation, self-defence and group protection as consequential strategies. The latter two narratives may lead ex-combatants to re-engagement in violence. State protection is a hypothetical narrative since most ex-combatants do not trust in authorities. The bottom-up approach applied in this study allows one to identify the security alternatives from their perspective. Considering the security-related skills and experiences of ex-combatants, this is an important element in the post-demobilisation period. Furthermore, the mentioned set of mostly non-violent coping strategies challenges the dominant view that ex-combatants are predisposed to violence.