Crisis Response

The UN has classified 26 conflicts around the world as complex emergencies. These affect around 59 million people, a large number of them in Africa. There are currently some 70,000 peace keepers in 70 countries serving 17 missions, all requiring different humanitarian responses. The war-induced famine in Sudan and Somalia has received a huge international response, but has raised questions about the most effective way to deal with human rights crises, which are becoming increasingly violent and complex. This work analyzes the effectiveness of all the major humanitarian interventions in recent years, and provides a range of initiatives on how the international community can respond more appropriately. It argues that the failure of military intervention and state building efforts in Somalia, and the attempt at a negotiated access response to aiding the victims in the Sudan provide insights into other crises. Sudan and Somalia are crucial as pointers for the future because they are part of the Horn of Africa legacy of cyclical famines and massive responses which come too late and fail to address the cause of the crises.