Is it the fault of NGOs alone?: aid and dependency in eastern Sudan

Does humanitarian assistance end up creating dependence, not development? Scholars of development studies have long debated the efficacy of humanitarian assistance in the Sudan, especially in eastern Sudan, where humanitarian agencies have been working for more than two decades. This study suggests that humanitarian assistance, often carried out in contexts of complex emergencies and fragile livelihoods, has little chance of achieving recovery and eventual development. Using qualitative data from the Red Sea State in eastern Sudan, this article argues that the failure to achieve recovery and development is not the fault of NGOs alone. Chronic susceptibility to droughts and famines, wars, and lack of coordination among NGOs and between NGOs and local authorities are some of the local level problems that negatively affect humanitarian work in eastern Sudan.

The paper shows how at local level problems that impede achieving self-reliance are entangled with the discursive national and international politics of humanitarian assistance in ways that cast doubts about the positive role of aid agencies. The presence of NGOs certainly led to changes in many structures, but this is not reflected positively in people’s livelihoods. Instead of achieving recovery, communities in eastern Sudan are moving from positive coping strategies to negative adaptive vulnerabilities, exemplified by dependence on NGOs. The author argues that the peace agreement in eastern Sudan offers opportunities for more inclusive planning, but without national commitment and international support it might accelerate conflict and vulnerability and hence deepen dependency. Additional conclusions drawn include:

• the move from relief to rehabilitation and development has not been effective due to problems that include lack of coordination among international organisations working in the region, between these organisations and authorities, and problems related to the political dimension of aid
• despite the fact that international NGOs implement projects that target many aspects of livelihoods (agriculture, fisheries, water, health, education), and some even venture in projects that aim at recovering and strengthening these sectors, their impact, particularly on livelihood, is hardly visible
• vague concepts like participation, partnership, good governance, and empowerment do not serve the local community in significantly positive ways, but rather conceal differences in power relationships between foreign NGOs on the one hand, and local NGOs and communities, on the other.