02.02.10 The Protection of Aid Workers
Principled Protection and Humanitarian Security in Darfur
NUPI Working Paper 770 | 42 pages.
The changing nature of armed conflict has resulted in increased need to safeguard civilians, including humanitarian personnel, which is reflected in the emerging protection of civilians agenda. This report considers to what extent the issues raised in the recently updated OCHA Aide Memoire reflect the security needs of aid workers on the ground, by examining the case of Darfur.
A Publication in the NUPI Series on Security in Practice. Security in Practice no. 2 - 2010.
>> Summary
The changing nature of armed conflict has resulted in increased need to safeguard civilians, including humanitarian personnel, which is reflected in the emerging protection of civilians agenda. This report considers to what extent the issues raised in the recently updated OCHA Aide Memoire reflect the security needs of aid workers on the ground, by examining the case of Darfur.
By performing a within-case analysis, this study portrays the humanitarian workers’ own perspective of the micro-dynamics of security in Darfur. It argues that the principles of humanitarian action, such as neutrality, impartiality and independence, provide protection and are pivotal for humanitarian security. However, these principles do not protect against all threats and need to be supplemented by other strategies such as protective walls, unarmed guards, barbed wire and security training.
On the other hand, relying too heavily on such measures may diminish security as aid workers are alienated from the local population. This is because proximity to the population is perceived as the most important measure for security. On the backdrop of these findings, the Aide Memoire should focus more on the principles of humanitarian action. In cases where UN peacekeepers are not perceived as neutral, such as Darfur, UN forces should focus more on area protection rather than protecting humanitarian convoys. In addition, the Aide Memoire should stress the importance of mandatory security training for all aid workers, and should outline more clearly the repercussions for host governments that deliberately fail to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access.
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