Africa’s Human Security

With the dying popularity of the Monroe Doctrine and the close of the Bush administration the developing world is starting to reassess the need for Western help. South and Central America and the Caribbean islands are just now recovering from U.S. interventions that were illicitly masked as help. Presently Africa is going through critical transformations to become independent from constant European and U.S. governmental policies. Unfortunately, however, human security is presently compromised by internal conflicts, terrorism and neglect of tenacious despots.

While isolated acts of terrorism excite Western headlines full blown civil conflicts are major national security concerns for east Africa and the Sub- Sahara. Half of the world’s internally displaced peoples (IDP) are in Africa; these are people who are displaced within the borders of their country due to armed conflict or environmental challenges (natural disaster or famine). Humanitarian efforts are complicated by rebel violence and food security is breeched by rebels and governments taken food supplies then reselling it to refugees and IDP.

U.N. and other international initiatives are being exhausted by decade long destabilized area such as the Democratic republic of Congo which indirectly involves Rwanda and displaces tens of thousands of refugees to Uganda and Tanzania. Even more taxing, is the Darfur conflict comprising of; eastern Chad, north eastern Central African Republic and southern and western Sudan. The local governments cannot efficiently protect their indigenous populations let alone the influx of women with children and orphans. Food sources are scarce and children don’t have medical care or even parents. Young boys are subject to paramilitary recruitment and girls are victims of sex crimes.

Luckily for these regions, the West makes it their duty to step in when human security is at risk in weaker nations. The U.N. has recently passed Resolution 1861 in order to supplement forces and refugee protection in Central Africa. Negligent and unintelligent African leadership leaves a void for Western governance as European and U.S. backed military presence patrols and establishes migration destinations for refugees. The U.N. will take responsibility of establishing and enforcing the rule of law, and often requiring the cooperation of the host government which may be perpetuating the conflict as in Sudan and the DRC.

Although there may be political and cultural confusion when the West comes to the rescue what are the realistic alternatives to helping nations with delinquent governments? When nations like Somalia are examined, it is easy to see what happens to a destabilized region when a developed partner does not intervene. Due to the extreme security threats the Somali conflict poses to peace keepers and IDP support groups, Western help has been forced to abandon Somalia in many areas. Non- governmental organizations remain optimistic despite rebel violence and random military crimes. In Somalia NGOs have set up temporary shelters and work hard to provide food and food security: they also face the progressing water shortage in southern Somalia. With over one million displaced people in the southern region alone and the advancement of rebel paramilitary groups in central Somalia it becoming harder to effectively serve the displaced population.