• History In July 2004, remnants of the AMF as well as groups which had never joined the AMF were declared illegal        (Presidential decree 50). It was estimated that there could be up to 120,000 persons, operating in over 1,800 illegal groups,        which could fall into this category.

     • Aims By aiming to rid the country of parallel armed structures, DIAG is more than a nationwide weapons collection. Its        ultimate objective is to allow the re-establishment of the rule of law through the promotion of good governance.

     • Structure The GoA and ANBP, and Japan as lead nation, implement DIAG with the support of the Joint Secretariat which        comprises of the MoD, MoI, NDS, UNAMA, ANBP, UNAMA, ISAF, CFC and the Demobilization and Reintegration (D&R)        Commission. This project was initially for one year at US $8 million; however, in accordance with the ANDS, it is likely that        this project will be extended by a further 18 months.

     • Donors include UK ($2.5m), Switzerland ($1.5m), UNDP ($0.5m), Denmark ($0.2m) and Canada ($0.1m). Japan has also        earmarked $35m to the NABDP and NSP for development projects. The DIAG programme has also enjoyed political support        from the donors as well as the Netherlands (who has pledged $1.2m), EU, Italy, Germany, US, ISAF and CFC.

DIAG Achievements:

Operation: Since the inception of the program, in addition to the 37,053 heavy and light weapons handed over to UNDP’s Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) through the actions and measures undertaken by the Afghan Security Sector in law enforcement institutions, over 1,050 individuals belonging to various armed and

criminal groups have been arrested or forcefully disarmed. More than 5,700 weapons confiscated or collected from these groups are presently in use by the Afghan Security Forces.  By establishing a weapon registration and licensing system in the Ministry of Interior (MoI) over 7,000 additional weapons were brought under the control of the Government.

Furthermore, an estimated 14,000 weapons were confiscated or taken out of the control of IAGs, criminal groups and insurgents by ANA, ANP, ISAF and Coalition Forces through both military operations and non-military means such as persuasion and pressure.

This brings the total number of weapons brought under the control of the Government to 63,754 including more than 27,000 metric tons of ammunition. As a result of DIAG activities over 285 main IAGs that cover 750-900 sub-Illegal Armed Groups are fully or partially disbanded.

In the NAPCE process, 124 candidates handed over 4,857 weapons. 34 candidates were disqualified, while others withdrew their candidature. Weapons collection points have been established in every province by the local security officials and ANBP. D&R Commission also sets out how and when Provincial Committees are to commence discussions to request assistance and identify for approval development resources earmarked for the DIAG programme.

Development: As part of DIAG development activities, District Development Assemblies (DDAs) have been established in 51 districts whereas projects in 21districts are in its planning stages. Nine projects in nine other districts are in different implementation stages and one project has been completed thus far.

Good Governance: 127 out of 221 Deputy Provincial Governors and District Administrators have been appointed by MoI employment board.126 weapons have been collected from 11 candidates and 47 have been rejected due to less qualification and weapons possession or having links with illegal armed groups.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Through the Presidential Decree No. 50 of July 2004 AMF remnants and groups which never joined the AMF have been declared illegal. The Government of Afghanistan commits itself to ensure that the individuals leading and constituting these groups will ‘in accordance with the law of the country, [...] face the severest of punishments’.

Decree No. 49 dated 14 March 2005 tasked Vice-President Khalili with leading the Disarmament and Reintegration Commission (D&R Com) and appointed Masum Stanakzai as the Presidential Advisor for the Government of Afghanistan. Pursuant to Decree No. 49, the President signed a Directive of the Vice President on 11 April 2005 on the composition and mandate of the D&R Com, which designates the commission as the government lead agency for disarming ‘groups belonging to the AMF and the groups outside of the previous structure of the Ministry of Defense, which today constitute the biggest problem throughout the country’. This decree places significant emphasis on the threat posed by Illegal Armed Groups. The decree also specifies that international partners of the D&R Com be composed of the United Nations, representatives of Donor Countries, PRTs, ISAF and the representative of the CF. On 15 May Vice-President Khalili directed all provincial governors and the line ministries which make up the D&R Com at provincial level to establish provincial committees, which were to collect information on and formulate plans for the disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups in their respective province.

In addition to the above actions, the Government of Afghanistan applied its general policies also to the Electoral Law; Article 15-3 states that no candidate for the elections could belong to or command an armed group.

In Decree No. 69 of 7 September 2004 the Government declared all heavy weapons to be the exclusive property of the state, and ordered through Decree No. 31 of 6 February 2005 the MoD, MoI, and NDS to hand over all weapons and ammunitions collected outside the DDR process to the Disarmament and Reintegration Commission for safe-keeping in MoD-managed central stores.

Through Presidential Decree No. 20 of 24 May 2005, the Government of Afghanistan enacted a law for the registration of weapons and explosives. Through this law the State assumes control over all weapons and explosives in Afghanistan, and designates the Ministry of Interior as the sole source for registration. A law regulating activities of private security companies operating in Afghanistan is at drafting stage.