Assess the role of humanitarian assistance in conflicts. Leo Sykes - HUA-306 Aid institutions and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) appear to people across the globe, and within conflict zones, as the knight in shining armour. They appear to represent the best side of humanity through promoting peace, safeguarding the poor, the needy and the defenceless. There is a growing debate however, that humanitarian assistance (or aid) exacerbates the conflict and lengthens the hardships of those they aim to support. The thesis of this paper is that humanitarian assistance is required in almost every situation it is involved with. However, this aid is not solely beneficial, it will also bring about negative impacts if abused or mismanaged. This essay aims to identify these negative aspects of humanitarian aid and address the impact they will have on the recipients. These impacts instigate debate over the success of humanitarian aid, whether the negative impacts are in comparison to the positives and what the possible solutions may be. Humanitarian aid is the subject of emotive debate; the scenarios in which it is required often leave solely positive outcomes impossible. To contextualise the negatives of humanitarian assistance, Somalia from 1991 to 1995 will be used as a case study. In order to understand the arguments about humanitarian aid, a clear definition is required. This paper defines humanitarian assistance as: Aid that seeks to save lives and alleviate suffering of a crisis affected population. Humanitarian assistance must be provided in accordance with the basic humanitarian
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