Normalising the crisis in Africa

Area of Science:

• Humanitarian Aid and Development Studies
• African Political Economy
• International Relations

Background:

• Developmental relief is the prevailing model for humanitarian responses to complex political emergencies.
• The increasing frequency of these emergencies signifies a failure in development within affected countries.
• This trend coincides with a rise in humanitarian distress across Africa.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the efficacy of developmental relief models in complex emergencies.
• To examine the link between developmental relief practices and rising humanitarian distress in Africa.
• To critique the 'local solutions to local problems' mantra and its implications for international responsibility.

Main Methods:

• Case study analysis of humanitarian responses in Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, and Uganda.
• Critical examination of assumptions underpinning developmental relief.
• Analysis of the discourse surrounding aid dependency, sustainable programming, and local financing.

Main Results:

• Developmental relief models are ineffective in addressing the root causes of complex emergencies.
• The emphasis on local solutions and financing masks a global reduction in aid and international disengagement.
• These practices sustain a myth of development while actual levels of distress increase in affected populations.

Conclusions:

• Developmental relief practices in complex emergencies are counterproductive, exacerbating humanitarian crises.
• The 'local solutions' approach absolves international actors of responsibility for the genesis and continuation of crises.
• There is a critical need to re-evaluate current humanitarian aid doctrines and address international accountability.