The impact on conflict of ‘state-led no-military reconstruction during war’: the case of the protection of Land Rights for IDPs during conflict in Colombia (2007-2010)

This thesis examines, via a single case-study – The Colombian Government’s “Land and Property Protection Program” (LPPP)– whether non-military state-led programs developed to help civil populations during conflict impacts on the conflict; and whether the impact is positive or negative. The rationality for this is that studies on activities of reconstruction after armed conflicts usually include assessments of the positive and negative impacts of such activities on the conflict itself; and a consensus in academia and field-work practice that peace can be built through proper reconstruction programs. However, a similar level of scholarly interest does not exist regarding reconstruction during warfare. Such reconstruction is conflated with notions which regard it as being part of a war effort and commanded by the military and/or a matter of political necessity. This research proposes that both: Post war reconstruction and During War Reconstruction (DWR), must be studied under the complexity of ‘Reconstruction’ in general.

This empirical thesis demonstrated the existence of and studied a State-led non-military DWR program which – as defined – is not used for military purposes by the Colombian’ state and whose final goal must be to repair the political link between citizens and the state. It was found that the LPPP seeks to restore confidence in the state, either by approaching populations that historically have been abandoned by the state and trying to win back their confidence; or returning property rights to those from whom it was unjustly removed. Three main recommendations flowing from the research: the first claims for more academic studies about DWR; the second for the study and design of protective programs reinforcing the role of the state as primary protector of private property in society; the third for more in-depth studies of the LPPP and the dual behaviour of ‘violence corridors’ and ‘illicit crops’ problems in Colombia.