AbstractsComputer Science

The central focus of this thesis is the security situation of humanitarian personnel working in the field. It aims to uncover to what extent the principles of humanitarian action provide for aid workers security in practice, or whether other measures are necessary to this end. The research design adopted for this project is a single case study, namely Darfur. By performing a within-case analysis, this study portrays the humanitarian workers own perspective of the security mechanisms and situation in Darfur. The underlying approach is exploratory in character and seeks to address the micro-dynamics of security on the ground. The aim of this thesis is not to test or deduce hypothesis in a narrow sense, but to contribute to theory development and probe the plausibility of whether neutrality, impartiality and independence provide security for humanitarian personnel. The enquiry takes as its starting point well-established claims and statements regarding these principles and their connection to security in the academic literature as its theoretical base. The main findings of this research suggest that despite recent development such as politicisation, developmentalization and securitisation of aid, the principles of humanitarian action are still the main elements of humanitarian workers security. Moreover, while protection strategies are seen as necessary, relying too heavily on such measures may diminish security as aid workers are alienated form the local population. This is because proximity to the population is perceived as the most important measure for security. However, there is a dilemma concerning acceptance strategies. Proximity to the population may result in loss of neutrality and impartiality on behalf of aid agencies. This is especially true when the host government is a central party of the conflict as is the case in Darfur. Humanitarian organizations which become too close with the local population may be perceived as taking their side, and as a result may encounter difficulties from the national government. In the case of Darfur, the expulsion of the thirteen humanitarian agencies by the Sudanese government may have been the result of this.