CARE Backs Civilian Leadership of Humanitarian Aid

CARE
Friday, 4 April 2003

As the debate rages within the Bush Administration over civilian versus military control of humanitarian assistance in Iraq once the war ends, it would be wise for all parties to take a hard look at Afghanistan. Last week, a humanitarian worker, Ricardo Munguia of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was murdered in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan. As many observers feared, violence and threats against individuals associated with international aid efforts in Afghanistan have increased since the beginning of the war in Iraq. In Kandahar, Ghazni and other locations in Afghanistan, even the Afghan employees of international aid agencies are warned via anonymous "night letters" to quit their jobs and not associate with "western" organizations.

CARE and other humanitarian agencies have a long history of working in communities around the world, building up trust through our independence and effectiveness. This trust is a critical condition for working effectively with populations in need; but it may be eroding in Afghanistan because of the blurring lines between aid workers and soldiers. This blurring has directly resulted from such U.S. Coalition practices over the past year as having soldiers dressed in civilian clothing, while armed and claiming to be humanitarian workers. The continued direct engagement of the military in relief and reconstruction efforts today, through "Provincial Reconstruction Teams," continues to blur the important distinction between humanitarian work and the security-related functions of the military.

As an agency working in Southeast Afghanistan, where fighting between Coalition forces and remnants of the Taliban continues, CARE has reason to worry about the security situation. Our job is far from done in Afghanistan. If security gets much worse, the reconstruction effort will stall, and that will sow the seeds of further instability and popular resentment. The international community cannot afford to forget its promises to the Afghan people, and the security vacuum that remains in much of the country must be addressed.

Given what we have experienced in Afghanistan over the past year, CARE believes that control of humanitarian aid in post-war Iraq must be in the hands of civilian authorities. Lives, and perhaps the chance for a peaceful future, depend on it.

For more information, or to contact CARE, see their website at: www.care.org