THE LIFE EXPERIENCES OF REINTEGRATED VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES: THE CASE OF MEKELLE CITY

Abstract

This study explores the post-war socioeconomic reintegration of veterans with disabilities in Mekelle City, Tigray. Following the devastating conflict that ended with the Pretoria Peace Agreement, a significant number of veterans returned with life-altering injuries to a society with a shattered economy and fractured social fabric. This research investigates the lived realities of these veterans, the efficacy of support systems, and the key barriers to their successful reintegration. Employed a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological design, this study collected data through 22 in-depth interviews and 3 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 18 veterans with disabilities (VWDs), supplemented by 15 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with governmental and other stakeholders. Thematic analysis of the data revealed a profound crisis in the reintegration process. The findings indicate that a multifaceted socioeconomic crisis characterized by systemic barriers to employment, a skills mismatch, inaccessible credit systems, and acute housing instability. Formal support programs implemented by state and non-state actors were found to be largely ineffective, suffering from a lack of coordination, sustainability, and, most critically, a top-down, non-participatory approach that is detached from the veterans' lived realities and pre-existing vulnerabilities. The study concludes that the failure of reintegration in Mekelle is rooted in a weak, charity-based model. A fundamental shift is required towards a rights-based, participatory approach that empowers veterans as active agents in their own recovery. Recommendations focus on institutionalizing veteran participation in program design, redirecting funding to support veteran-led enterprises, establishing business related training and employment opportunities, and prioritizing housing.