- Seven members of the NGO Acted were killed last week in Niger, causing great emotion.
- Anger joined with sadness. The co-founder of the NGO denounced in particular an abandonment of the State and humanitarian workers left to their fate. In particular, a complaint was filed against Paris.
- Is the argument admissible and can we accuse governments of not intervening within NGOs?
Frédéric Roussel, co-founder of the NGO Acted, does not take offense. For him, the seven humanitarian workers of the organization killed in Niger were abandoned to their fate, in particular by France. "The international community [must realize] the contradiction that there is between asking us to support these populations who live in a dramatic way and leaving us alone faced with a violence where we have become the easiest targets", he said. he denounced in an interview on Monday, before pointing to the "appalling paradox of seeing that our young humanitarian workers were killed in a yellow zone [classified thus by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs], where we can go when we need rest ". The NGO decided to file a complaint against Paris.
Are the NGOs abandoned to their fate by the States, leaving them to fend for themselves in a hostile environment? A member of Amnesty International interviewed within the framework of this article, who preferred to remain anonymous, decided: "I do not judge his strong feelings, but if we were really assisted by States during our interventions, a fortiori militarily , we would no longer have anything of an NGO - non-governmental organization, it should be remembered. It's just semantic ”.
Independence and risk
In other words, yes, NGOs are left alone in the face of danger in terrifyingly risky areas, but "it is their nature and their DNA," testifies Alexandre Hollander, CEO of Amarante International, European leader in security support in a risk area. NGOs, especially French, have been built by distancing themselves from States, which gives them this freedom of action and their independence. "
For Pierre Mendiharat, director of operations at Médecins Sans Frontières, “any operation and activity in a conflict zone requires risk assessments, and we sometimes give up operations in regions that we consider too risky or when the conditions of the most basic security do not seem to be met. "A particularly frequent situation in West Africa, with the establishment of the Islamic State and other groups" with a totalizing logic: we are either with them or against them. What this massacre reminds us of is the dangerous nature of our missions. "
"No nation is forcing us to go anywhere"
“We know what we're getting into, we try to understand the risks as well as possible. Once we've established them, it's up to us to decide whether to go anyway or not. We are perhaps more reasonable than in the past, even if this kind of drama can occur at any time on a mission. There is no such thing as zero risk ”, supports the Amnesty member. Since 2015, NGOs have taken the security problem head-on, supports Alexandre Hollander, Amarante International. Before last week's tragedy, two Western aid workers had been killed for five years, proof of the effectiveness of survival briefings but also of the relevance of the choice of missions. “Risk is part of the moral contract of NGOs: risking one's life to protect populations is in the DNA of the thing. "
“On the other hand, we must be very clear on the question of intervening on demand: no nation is forcing us to go somewhere. We are going there with our soul and conscience ”, specifies the humanitarian aid worker of Amnesty. “We can say that we sometimes feel morally obliged to go there because the countries are not doing their job properly, but the decision is us and us alone who make it. "
Tensions between States and NGOs
"It is enough to see the open conflicts between certain nations and NGOs rescuing migrants at sea to certify that there is no piloting", abounds Alexandre Hollander, who also evokes the legal actions of NGOs against the States around global warming.
“Who imagines a mission in Afghanistan in the 1980s under the protection of the Soviet Army? asks Amnesty International humanitarian aid. It wouldn't make sense. We are the only ones to intervene because we have decided to be alone. Where there is failure and abandonment of States, it is towards the populations, not towards us. "
World
Humanitarian workers killed in Niger: Acted will file a complaint in Paris after the attack on its employees
World
Humanitarian aid killed: NGO Acted suspends its activities in Niger, state of emergency reinforced in Kouré
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