Humanitarianism and politics: the dangers of contrived separation

Abstract

Humanitarianism and politics are more often than not considered to be separate from each other, despite the increasing complexity of contemporary conflict. This article highlights the specifics of the flight of one renegade soldier and some 300 of his men from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Rwanda, at a time when the international community was plotting the roadmap for an ideal solution that everybody could have approved. The article explores what caused the relevant parties to forfeit such a solution and recommends ways to improve operational coordination and complementarity among international actors.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Greg Salter, Panos Moumtzis, and Leana Islam for their perceptive comments, without which this article would not have been written. The views presented in the article are those of the author, and not to be attributed to the organisations to which he is, or has been, affiliated.

Notes

1. Interviews conducted in Goma. Statements made in these interviews about a Rwandan presence in late 2004 are coherent, but records differ as to whether they withdrew or maintained a residual presence.

2. Interviews with diplomats and senior UN staff in Kigali.

3. Interviews conducted in Cyangugu.

4. Foreign Minister Charles Muligande on BBC Africa Service, 8 July 2005.

5. Interviews with MONUC officers.

6. Foreign Minister Charles Muligande on BBC Africa Service, 8 July 2005.

7. Interviews with senior NGO, UN, and ICRC staff between July and December 2004.

8. According to information gathered by the Forum on Early Warning and Early Emergency Response (FEWER).

9. Interviews with senior UN staff in Kigali.

10. Interviews with senior UN staff in Kigali.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Volker Schimmel

Volker Schimmel works in the Great Lakes region and was a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Rwanda. He is currently Associate Humanitarian Affairs Officer for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Burundi.