Photo: A patient is carried to a ward by stretcher in Guri-el Hospital. Somalia 2011 &copy; Peter Casaer/MSF
Humanitarian Aid Must Not Be Co-Opted Into Somalia Stabilization Program
Efforts underway at the United Nations to integrate humanitarian assistance into the international military campaign against opponents of Somalia&rsquo;s government will further threaten the safe delivery of independent and impartial aid to Somalis struggling to survive ongoing war, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/M&eacute;decins Sans Fronti&egrave;res (MSF) warned today. The United Nations Security Council is currently deliberating the future structure of the UN&rsquo;s mission in Somalia. Under discussion is the possible inclusion of humanitarian assistance within the broader political and military agenda for Somalia. Such an approach, in a country where the ability to provide relief is already severely compromised, could generate distrust of aid groups. &ldquo;As many Somalis continue to struggle to obtain the basic necessities for survival, such as food, health care, and protection from violence, humanitarian assistance must remain a priority and it must remain completely independent of any political agenda,&rdquo; said Jerome Oberreit, MSF Secretary General. &ldquo;The humanitarian aid system must not be co-opted as an implementing partner of counter-insurgency or stabilization efforts in Somalia.&rdquo; Ensuring the safety of patients and medical staff remains a major challenge. Aid must therefore remain independent and impartial so that humanitarian organizations can try to negotiate access to populations in need with all parties to the conflict and mitigate security risks as much as possible. Attempts to further politicize humanitarian aid will put patients and aid workers in even greater danger, MSF said.