Humanitarian and military efforts for the protection of civilians should not be seen as mutually exclusive

Change in the way things are done is bound to occur at some point in time. Protection of civilians (PoC) is no exception given the chaotic, uncertain, rapid, and dynamic environment in which humanitarian work is done. Humanitarian and military efforts in protection of civilians should not be seen as mutually exclusive but as a hybrid attempt to equally protect the rights, save lives, and ease pain and suffering of affected persons.

Military interventions should be seen as complementing the efforts of humanitarian actors. This calls for a review of the definitions and character of humanitarian work to accomodate military efforts – especially when such efforts are for peacekeeping and protection purposes. Likewise, military definitions and standards must be reviewed to accomodate humanitarian actors.

The approach I would propose is to to borrow from both disciplines so that coordination, collaboration, and cooperation between both efforts could be enhanced without compromising the neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian work.

A key area where such coordination, collaboration, and cooperation could be enhanced is that relating to access to displaced populations. If the army could be called upon to clear the way after an earthquake or flood for humanitarian actors to gain access and offer protection and assistance to the affected populations, the same army could be called upon in a conflict situation to support the access efforts of humanitarian actors.

There is a need for some unfreezing and critical reflection in an effort to manage this change towards arriving at this hybrid high ground, which appears inevitable giving the nature of current crises the world over. The objective of this change exercise should focus on complementarity in the work of civilian and military efforts to ensure protection of civlians.

About the author

Boisy Williams is a humanitarian aid worker with over 15 years national and international experience in complex and protracted emergencies. He has served in multiple countries including Sierra Leone, Burundi, Sudan, Kenya, Somaliland and Djibouti. Mr. Williams held various positions in programming, programme support and senior management.