The Necessary Mitigated Evil: Humanitarian Aid in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Due in part to its tumultuous past, sub-Saharan Africa is a region of the world that is stricken with war, famine, and poverty. Many people in richer parts of the world, including North America and Europe, view helping the people who inhabit this part of the world as their duty and obligation. Both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental organizations such as the United Nations (UN) alike send humanitarian aid to sub-Saharan Africa. While this aid helps countless individuals and their families, humanitarian aid in sub-Saharan Africa fuels further conflict and enables violent groups, undermining the goals of the aid itself.
The history of humanitarian aid has been muddied by cases of NGOs and UN groups enabling violent groups by providing too much support and aid. During the Rwandan Genocide, two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis, clashed and thousands of Tutsis were killed at the hands of the Hutus. Many people fled the country seeking refuge, and agencies set up refugee camps in some of the neighboring countries, beginning one of the largest humanitarian aid disasters that the world has ever seen (Lassiter 54). Many ex-combatants found their ways into these cams, receiving food and aid supplies. Some of these camps were even used as military bases where the ex-combatants could rally and then leave to kill their enemies. Thinking that they could curb reliance on aid workers and agencies, the aid was put under the control of the Rwandan soldiers. Because of the prejudice of the soldiers, only people of certain races and ethnicities received aid. The availability of aid to the military and militants enabled them to accomplish military objectives without fear of retribution. While the aid problems in the aftermat...

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...e and dandy, even though it is killing hundreds of people a month. In the case of Kony, aid has supported a group known to abduct children and rape them. While aid is designed to do a lot of good, its very presence can do harm. Aid is necessary for the survival of many people, so the inherent harm of aid must be mitigated and managed properly and very carefully. The goal of aid agencies can no longer be to do good; aid agencies must now strive to not do more harm than necessary.

Works Cited

Anderson, Mary. Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace – Or War. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 1999. Print.
Lassiter, Randi. “How Aid Negatively Impacts Conflict: The moral and Political Dilemmas faced by Humanitarian Organizations.” The Monitor 13.1 (2007): 50-60. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Pascal, Zachary. “Humanitarian Dilemmas.” Wilson Quarterly 32.3 (2008): 44-51. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

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