Humanitarian Access

The Charity & Security Network has sent letters to leaders in the Senate and House calling for hearings to determine how U.S. law contributed to the most deadly famine in the past 25 years by restricting humanitarian assistance during the 2010-2012 crisis in Somalia.  A new study by USAID and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization found a drastic reduction in humanitarian assistance, combined with widespread conflict and drought, contributed to a death rate much higher than previously known.

Congress should investigate how U.S. law restricted humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia, especially children, who made up 52 percent of all fatalities.  It must also look at how the licensing process at the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control failed to effectively work with U.S. charities that wanted to conduct humanitarian operations in south and central Somalia, the areas hardest hit by the crisis, but were unable due to concerns of violating U.S. law.

See: Somalia Crisis Timeline

Syrians living in opposition-controlled areas continue to bear the brunt of the violence and have received a fraction of the assistance they need, according to aid groups working in the region.  Security constraints and lack of access to much of the northern and central parts of the country have hampered aid delivery and only a handful of international aid groups, many working covertly and at great risk, reach these areas. On April 5, 2013, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that the “absence of humanitarian assistance could have catastrophic consequences” for the people of Syria for years to come.  The two year conflict has displaced nearly four million Syrians across the country and forced over a million more into crowded refugee camps in neighboring states.

Two years after the start of the uprising in Syria, hearings in both houses of Congress in March 2013 examined the effectiveness and challenges for organizations assisting Syrians affected by the crisis.  Speakers at both hearings, including representatives of the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations, provided on-the-ground assessments and described the complex and dangerous environment in which aid organizations work.  It is estimated that more than 2.5 million Syrians are displaced inside the country and another 1 million refugees have fled into neighboring states to avoid the violence. Topics covered included problems getting access to those in need, branding aid and its impact on safety, and the influence of extremists in the Syrian opposition.

Lack of access to Somalis in need was not only an obstacle to alleviating the extreme food shortages in Somalia but also a contributing factor in creating the crisis, according to an April 2012 report from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).   The authors argue that the political landscape in the conflict-ravaged country has become so complex and tainted that restrictions imposed on aid delivery have made it difficult for humanitarian actors to respond impartially and proportionately to the enormous need.  As a result, assistance has been limited to a handful of places, and responding to the threats facing the most vulnerable civilians have  been inadequate.  The combination of drought, escalating food prices, and nearly twenty years of conflict have left millions of Somalis displaced and in need of life-saving assistance.