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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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National NGOs in Darfur
| Panel |
79. African Humanitarianism
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| Paper ID | 594 |
| Author(s) |
Shaw, Jennifer
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | The proposed paper hopes to contribute to the debate on providing international assistance in protracted conflicts, focusing on the relationship between USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and national NGOs responding to the Darfur crisis.
Throughout much of the 1990’s, Western governments disengaged from Sudan, replacing development assistance with humanitarian aid distributed through non-state structures. More often than not, these operations were driven by exogenous rather than endogenous actors. Since 9/11, however, the United States Government has expressed growing concern over the threat so-called fragile and failing states pose to national security. Strategies have emerged within USAID to link foreign aid more closely to national security. Concerns regarding disengagement have been detailed in policy documents such as Foreign Aid in the National Interest (2002) and The Fragile States Strategy (2005).
Has the post-9/11 shift to strengthen ties between foreign aid and national security had an impact on the nature of collaboration with national NGOs in Sudan? Is the role of endogenous aid organizations expected to change with this policy shift? If so, how? The proposed paper will be based on a review of USAID’s ongoing programs in Darfur, and Sudanese NGOs receiving support to provide humanitarian assistance in Darfur. It is the intention that interviews with both USAID and Sudanese NGOs on the ground in Sudan will provide insight into current practices in the region.
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