CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Conflicts are increasingly protracted; climate-related shocks are more intense and frequent. Both contribute to a cycle of vulnerability. Sustainable development and durable solutions to displacement are not possible without peace. Humanitarian relief, development programmes and peace buildings are not serial processes: they are all needed at the same time.

1.1 Background of the Study

According to (Robert Murgha 2003), the humanitarian perspective Contemporary thinking on small-arms proliferation, availability and use is bitterly polarized, pitting pro-gun advocates and defense ministries against public-health specialists, the disarmament community and, increasingly, the relief and development sectors. A humanitarian perspective on small arms provides a critical space for consensus in an otherwise political arena. In essence, a humanitarian discourse privileges a focus on the practice and consequences of warfare. It impels producing states to account for the lawful or illicit transfer of weaponry to regimes violating the basic human rights of civilians.

In the middle of the 19th century, humanitarianism was central to the work of Florence Nightingale and Henry Dunant in emergency response and in the latter case led to the founding of the Red Cross. With the creation of the red cross organization under the supervision of the UN as part of the health care and peace keeping organization by (Henry Dunant, 1859) from Switzerland. He was a businessman and had traveled in most countries in the world. In one of his trips, he meets a war between France and Austral which was known as the battle of Solferino. After this, he decided to create what is known today as the Red Cross Organization, which is widely known as one of the biggest and most efficient and famous organizations in the world today. After his encounter from the war, he went back to his country, where he wrote a book known as “Memory of Solferino”. After it was creation, the organization had three emblems which help for recognition, these emblems are; The Red cross, the Red Crescent and the red crystals. In order for the organization to be able to maintain world peace and security, it was organized in the form of both assistance and mutual aids for reconstruction and development.

Conflict is a main driver of internal displacement.  The resolution of conflicts is needed for IDPs to find durable solutions, and durable solutions for IDPs are necessary for consolidation of peace.  Or to put it in negative terms, without peace, it is difficult for IDPs to find durable solutions and without durable solutions for IDPs; it is difficult for peace to be sustained.  While the relationship is clear, the fact is that different actors are responsible for ending conflicts, consolidating peace and supporting IDPs.  Both preventing and ending conflicts peacemaking falls largely in the domain of political leaders, while humanitarian actors are largely responsible for protecting and assisting IDPs and at least in the past, have been expected to facilitate solutions for IDPs.  This seems to hold true at both the national level where different ministries are usually responsible for humanitarian aid and for conflict-resolution and at the international level.  Similarly, the process of sustaining peace whether through peacekeeping operations, peace building initiatives or transitional justice mechanisms is usually led by different actors than those working with IDPs (Emilie Combaz, 2013).

Over the years and continuing to the present, there has been considerable resistance from some humanitarian actors towards becoming more involved in preventing conflict and violence as well as resolving and consolidating peace.  In large measure, this resistance is due to a fear that humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality, and impartiality will be compromised by their engagement in political actions necessary to prevent and resolve conflicts.  This resistance was brought sharply into focus in the early 2000s over the issue of UN integrated missions which were “designed to streamline UN efforts to ensure that the objectives of all UN forces and agencies are channeled towards a common overarching goal.” Humanitarians tried to insist on the need for independent humanitarian action, even while recognizing the need for joined-up action to support peace (Erin A. Weir, 2006). When humanitarian aid is given in support of political objectives even noble political objectives of ending conflicts humanitarians may no longer be seen as independent and impartial, but rather aligned with political actors in ways that might limit their access to people in need. While integrated missions have gone ahead, similar issues are now surfacing with respect to the peace-humanitarian nexus.  Indeed, the tension over humanitarian principles is probably the greatest impediment to increased collaboration between humanitarian and peace actors.

According to Alischa Kugel (2016) humanitarian actors and peace operations struggle to keep pace with the growing demands of larger and protracted humanitarian crises, necessitating greater coherence and engagement. Necessary gains in protection, prevention, resilience building and risk reduction will not be met without comprehensive, flexible and coordinated approaches. Yet, humanitarian actors and peace operations co-exist in an uneasy relationship working toward shared objectives with at times conflicting approaches. This brief looks at challenges and opportunities for cooperation between United Nations peace operations and humanitarian actors and provides suggestions on how to maximize collective efforts for consolidating peace and security.

The conflict and the predatory behaviors of armed actors are the key factors driving the crisis. Human rights violations continue to be committed by parties to the conflict with worrying trends in terms of brutality. Civilians continue to be at risk as they are both directly targeted or victims of crossfire. Children are profoundly affected by the conflict as they are killed, maimed and abducted by warring parties.

Despite some softening of rhetoric on education, the school system remains a key area of contention and many children are now entering their third year out of school. There are indications of recruitment by armed groups, taking advantage of the absence of this key structural support to the lives of children.

There are indications that sexual violence is underreported, affecting both adults and children with a disproportionate impact on women and girls. Health coverage also remains a key challenge as damaged and destroyed structures constrain the capacity of the few health professionals that remained with populations in greatest need.

These issues drive the displacement which brings with it not only shelter needs and loss of livelihoods, but also cuts people off from key support services such as healthcare and clean water. Medical professionals are some of the most missed as they leave rural and communities, flee to cities in the two regions, and beyond into neighboring regions leaving healthcare structures unstaffed, looted and even burnt, (Chaloke Beyani, 2013).

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Cameroon embraces the humanitarian-development-peace nexus vision in its strategic approach for two key pillars of the mission’s interventions: emergency response to crisis and peace building and recovery. To this end, IOM Cameroon provides tailored lifesaving assistance and protection, complemented by efforts to build community-based approaches for the attainment of durable solutions, seeking to prevent forced displacement and favor reintegration by addressing the drivers of crises, supporting mechanisms of conflict management and reduction, and building resilience in communities. IOM Cameroon applies integrated approaches that respect humanitarian principles and support transition and recovery efforts and sustainable development. The varied nature of the ongoing crises in Cameroon, from the Lake Chad basin’s far-north region, to the north-west, south-west (NW-SW) Anglophone regions, to the east region’s refugee crisis, requires IOM to adapt response strategies to these specific contexts, strengthening resilience and ensuring no one is left behind.

Throughout 2021, 4.4 million people (or one in six) were in need of humanitarian assistance (HRP, 2021) and this is expected to either stay the same or increase in 2022.  In the North West (NW) south west (SW) Anglophone regions, the prolonged armed conflict between government defense forces (GDF) and Non-State Armed Groups (nsags) is worsening, with no signs of abating in the short to medium term. The conflict is notably marked by a recent sustained rise in the use of improvised explosive devices and has created a difficult operational environment for humanitarian actors. Internal displacements and related needs now expand to the neighboring regions of west and littoral.

In the far-north region, ongoing hostilities and violence continue, with an increase in the number of violent incidents directed towards civilians by nsag’s, triggering additional displacements, especially in regions bordering Nigeria. From June 2020 until July 2021, there has been an increase of more than 35,000 internally displaced persons (IDPS) and more than 3,000 out-of-camp refugees, bringing the total to 357,630 IDPS and 52,000 out-of-camp refugees, while the number of returnees has also increased, reaching 135,257 in July 2021 (In the north, Adamou and east regions, substantial progress is yet to be made toward durable solutions for central African refugee populations that number at over 328,000 (UNHCR, 2021). At the same time, the impacts of climate change have caused seasonal rain patterns to become less predictable which has led to transhumance communities moving at chaotic and unplanned times, leading to small scale conflicts over the usage of shared resources between herder communities and farmers.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There are the presence of humanitarian organization worldwide and Cameroon inclusive being one of the areas of the world face both external and internal crisis. Although humanitarian organizations fight so hard to combat situations of conflicts to promote peace, some people or areas turn to refuse accepting change.

In Cameroon, the existence of the Anglophone crisis in the North West and South West regions which is affecting the lives of so many individuals thereby making them homeless, causing hunger to some including children, destruction of facilities which provokes societal dysfunction request for a call of concern. Therefore, this study seeks to know the role of humanitarian organizations to peace building in the country and the world at large.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What are the roles of the Red Cross of Cameroon in peacebuilding and how effective are they?

1.3.2 Specific Research Question

1. How effective is the Red Cross in the provision of peace during the conflict?
2. What are some of the challenges faced by the Red Cross during the peace-building process?
3. What can be done in order to promote effective peacebuilding by the Red Cross?

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