Power Sharing during the Resolution of a Civil War. : A case study of the Disarmament, Demobilzation and Reintegration process in Cote d'Ivoire.

Abstract: Peace is the most expensive treasure societies can acquire. In conflict societies, immediate solutions are decided to bring peace in the societies by actors in the societies or by third actors. Power sharing is mostly considered by some scholars as the ultimate solution to bring peace. However, the implementation of power sharing in African countries is appraised and at the same time is contested by various scholars. This case study on Côte d’Ivoire and its peace agreements signed aim to help to understand the role of power sharing in the violent conflicts Côte d’Ivoire experienced between 2002 and 2010 with more than 3000 life lost. The case study will also help understand the failure of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration process in peacebuilding especially in the organization of the presidential election of October 2010 in the case of Côte d’Ivoire. This thesis study aims to introduce the reader to discussions about peace agreements, peacebuilding, and critically analyzing power-sharing government, the implementation of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration to show the gaps between them. The methodology of the thesis and the structure of the thesis provided a specific relationship between the theory of power-sharing, the method and the analysis of the thesis findings. The abductive analysis provided the understanding of the relationship between Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration process, and peacebuilding. By using different articles and readings on power-sharing, the process of Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration describing the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, the thesis provided a critical approach to understand power-sharing implementation and Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration process to build peace in Côte d’Ivoire. As result, the study demonstrated that Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration process needs to be applied first before elections for long term peacebuilding. Hence the thesis suggested the need for more systematic research in the area of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration to strengthen peace management during peace processes.