Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

Abstract

DEFINITION II Complex emergencies (CEs)-as seen in Angola, Liberia, Somalia, the Former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and East Timor-can be defined as nation-state internal conflicts in which the capacity to sustain livelihood and life is threatened primarily by political factors, and, in particular, by high levels of violence. CHARACTERISTICS CEs have existed for many years; however, they have become the most common human-generated disasters during the last two decades. Currently, there remain 35 countries at risk of serious conflict, 11 of which are near collapse. The large majority of victims are civilians, with mortality and morbidity primari-ly among vulnerable and unprotected children, women, the elderly, and the handi-capped. CEs may also exacerbate social, economic, and gender inequalities, poverty, injus-tices, cultural and religious persecution, ignorance, racism, oppression, religious fun-damentalism, and other lethal factors that contribute to internal strife among varied ethnic, tribal, and religious groups. CEs must be understood and managed in the context of politics. The success and failure of intervention and relief during CEs are dependent on the politics of the situ-ation and outside military actions to cease or at least contain the violence. The world community has, with varying success, responded to the more publicized CEs in the decade of the 1990s(the Kurds in orthern Iraq, Somalia, the Balkans, East Timor), but with other conflicts (Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sudan) outside assistance has been limited or avoided. Primarily because of unresolved war and con-flict, hunger has climbed 18%, representing more than 850 million people without