Celestina Atom
This article examines the emotional and psychological experiences of military personnel involved in Nigeria's Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), a deradicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration (DRR) program for former Boko Haram combatants. While existing research on Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) has focused primarily on ex-combatants and community outcomes, limited attention has been given to the psychological impact on security actors responsible for implementation. Drawing on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of semi-structured interviews with eight Nigerian military personnel, this study explores how these individuals make sense of their roles within a context characterized by psychological ambiguity and emotional strain. The findings identify cognitive dissonance as a central mechanism shaping participants' experiences, emerging from the tension between their identity as protectors and their institutional role in supporting the rehabilitation of former adversaries. This dissonance manifests through emotional conflict, conditional empathy, and persistent psychological distress, including anxiety, hypervigilance, and symptoms associated with trauma exposure. Participants' accounts also reflected moral conflict and perceived institutional betrayal, which are discussed as moral injury-related distress rather than as clinically measured moral injury. These experiences are further intensified by perceived institutional neglect and structural inequalities within the program. The article demonstrates that psychological strain among DDR implementers is structurally embedded within program design and extends cognitive dissonance theory into post-conflict and active-conflict reintegration settings. It argues for the integration of trauma-informed and psychologically responsive policies within DDR frameworks.