Humanitarianism in Africa

Humanitarianism in Africa refers to the intentions and actions of people, nations, and organizations to alleviate human suffering in Africa. Humanitarian policies have focused on improving problems in Africa such as poverty, poor-health, corruption, and ethnic/inter-state conflict. Prominent entities which engage in humanitarian action in Africa include but are not limited to: foreign nations like the United States (US), domestic nations like South Africa, international organizations like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United Nations (UN), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, and even personal celebrities like Bono. Prominent methods of promoting humanitarianism in Africa have been foreign aid, humanitarian intervention, and UN sanctioned peacekeeping.

Starting in the 1960s, aid to Africa has evolved in focus from infrastructure to poverty to neoliberal stabilization and structural adjustment, to governance to glamour aid.^[1] Broadly, foreign aid encompasses emergency aid, charity-based aid, and systematic aid. Emergency and charity-based aid are often shorter term aid aimed at alleviating immediate suffering from events like natural disaster or famine. Conversely, systematic aid from foreign nations and development organizations is long term aid, via concessionary loans or grants, focused on solving foundational problems like poverty or institutional reform.^[2] Although emergency aid has helped prevent short term suffering in Africa, systematic aid has harmed Africans by increasing corruption and poverty. Unconditional aid to Africa has been largely proliferated by corrupt officials who engage in private consumption instead of public investment. Aid motivated corruption reduces investment, which in the long-term has suppressed many countries' economic growth. This lower growth has led to increased poverty in Africa, which causes donors to send more aid creating a vicious cycle of aid and poverty.^[3]

Another method to promote humanitarianism has been through humanitarian intervention. This method involves foreign nations or multilateral organizations threatening or using force to prevent or stop violent conflicts. Humanitarian intervention does not require the consent of all parties and is more focused on stopping conflict and not long-term nation building.^[4] An example of humanitarian intervention in Africa was the UN (UNOSOM) and US (UNITAF) missions to Somalia in 1993. However, the more prominent method of humanitarianism in Africa has been through UN sanctioned peacekeeping operations. These operations insert foreign troops into a post-conflict area in hopes of providing transitional stability. Their presence requires the consent of all parties and their ability to use force is usually restricted to self-defense.^[5] Since 1960, the UN has completed 25 peacekeeping missions in Africa, each unique with varying degrees of success. Some examples include ONUC in the Congo, UNAVEM in Angola, and UNAMIR in Rwanda. On balance, peacekeeping operations writ large have succeeded in achieving their mandate in 66% of cases. Their presence has reduced both civilian and military deaths during conflicts and has shortened and prevented conflicts from reemerging.^[6]

Although claiming a desire to alleviate suffering, humanitarianism in Africa has often done the opposite. By often embracing a white-man's burden mentality, humanitarian organizations have engaged in a form of neocolonialism in which they maintain control and influence over formal colonies in the name of benevolent development.^[7]

^ Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 10–28. ISBN 978-0-374-53212-3. OCLC 1040767112.
^ Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is Another Way for Africa. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 7–9. ISBN 978-0-241-95996-1. OCLC 1005015872.
^ Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0-374-53212-3. OCLC 1040767112.
^ Barnett, Michael (2011). Humanitarianism Contested: Where Angels Fear to Tread. Taylor & Francis. pp. 10–16. ISBN 978-1-136-81439-6. OCLC 773564494.
^ Seybolt, Taylor B. (2007). Humanitarian Military Intervention: The Conditions for Success and Failure. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-19-925243-5. OCLC 85482131.
^ Howard, Lise, "The Future of Peacekeeping in Africa" Webinar from the Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., February 11, 2021. pp. 3-8. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fp_20210211_africa_peacekeeping_transcript.pdf
^ Benjamin Onyekachi, Eneasato (2020). "Foreign Aid as Mechanism for Perpetuation of Neo-colonialism and Dependency: An Interrogation of Issues and Way Forward for Developing Economies" (PDF). INOSR. 6 (1): 101–112.

[1] Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 10–28. ISBN 978-0-374-53212-3. OCLC 1040767112.

[:22-2] Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is Another Way for Africa. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 7–9. ISBN 978-0-241-95996-1. OCLC 1005015872.

[3] Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0-374-53212-3. OCLC 1040767112.

[:32-4] Barnett, Michael (2011). Humanitarianism Contested: Where Angels Fear to Tread. Taylor & Francis. pp. 10–16. ISBN 978-1-136-81439-6. OCLC 773564494.

[:52-5] Seybolt, Taylor B. (2007). Humanitarian Military Intervention: The Conditions for Success and Failure. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-19-925243-5. OCLC 85482131.

[:42-6] Howard, Lise, "The Future of Peacekeeping in Africa" Webinar from the Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., February 11, 2021. pp. 3-8. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/fp_20210211_africa_peacekeeping_transcript.pdf

[7] Benjamin Onyekachi, Eneasato (2020). "Foreign Aid as Mechanism for Perpetuation of Neo-colonialism and Dependency: An Interrogation of Issues and Way Forward for Developing Economies" (PDF). INOSR. 6 (1): 101–112.

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