Foreign Aid Revised

Running head: EFFECTS OF WAR AND PEACE ON FOREIGN AID 1

Effects of War and Peace on Foreign Aid

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THE EFFECTS OF WAR AND PEACE ON FOREIGN AID 2

Introduction

Foreign aid plays an important role on matters of peace and war in developing nations.

The distribution of humanitarian aid is highly dependent on the prevailing political conditions,

which dictates whether people in need of help can access aid or not. In Somalia, disruption of

foreign aid after the cold war led to a political divide that continues to haunt the citizens to date.

The presence of a stable government ensures foreign aid can be distributed to the intended

community effectively. However, in Somalia, the war in most parts of that nation has created a

troubling and insecure system where foreign aid in terms of food, capital, firearms, and other

basic commodities is prone to attack by belligerent groups.

Effects of Peace and War on the Distribution of Foreign Aid in Somalia

War not only makes it difficult to assess foreign aid but makes it impossible to control

some of the war-torn regions that require aid. In the case of Somalia, regions that need foreign

aid are mostly under the control of the al-Shabaab militant group. The al-Shabaab makes it

difficult to distribute foreign aid, unlike government-controlled areas. According to Grunewald

(2012), war has limited humanitarian penetration to war-torn regions in Somalia, making it

inaccessible for critical survival aid. On the other hand, peace ensures that distribution of food,

military personnel, water and capital to Somalia takes place efficiently. In the regions not

controlled by al-Shabaab militia, where peace prevails, people are able to move freely and

participate in the allocation of foreign aid without fear of attacks. In such regions, humanitarian

aid is able to enhance stable leadership, feed starving people, improve infrastructure and control

disease outbreaks.

Actions Taken by Somali Leadership to Relieve the Severe Problems Caused by Warfare

THE EFFECTS OF WAR AND PEACE ON FOREIGN AID 3

There are several measures taken by Somalia government in collaboration with foreign

institutions such EU and AU to relive some of the problems caused by war. Political actors at

local levels continue to develop policies and laws aimed at ending relationships with armed non-

state actors accused of fuelling the war in Somalia. However, humanitarian players find it

challenging to implement the measures based on international canons while taking care of

national laws. Unemployed youth are presented with an opportunity to join al-Shabaab and

improve their living conditions due to perceived benefits of engaging in the war. Poor economic

situations, poverty, lack of education and loss of family members forces Somalia youth to take

part in the conflict. To counter the problem, Somalia government has ensured good transport,

availability of capital and access to education to people in war-torn areas to discourage them

from joining al-Shabaab militia.

Role of Foreign Aid in the war Against Poverty and the Incidence of Warfare in Somalia

Foreign aid has grown to become a vibrant industry controlled by war mongers, criminal

business elites, arms dealers, politicians and al-Shabaab militia. Aid is diverted into private

channels, given that there is no taxation and it does little to increase local revenue generation.

According to Aisha Ahmad (2013), the extension of foreign aid is not a strategic solution to

Somali problems. Aid is guaranteed to intensify corruption at all levels of government, raise

dependency and weaken the state. Aid in form of food and other basic goods harms the local

Somalia economy. For example, relief food, although meant to help people dying of poverty, is

always a political determination to support farmers in the donor's country.

A study carried out by Warsame and Ireri on Somali living in Kenya found that

administration of foreign aid is tightly wired to corruption and lack of integrity (2016). The study

concluded that foreign aid cannot help reduce poverty and war unless there is virtuous financial

THE EFFECTS OF WAR AND PEACE ON FOREIGN AID 4

system, enhanced transparency of Somali government officials and strong learning institutions.

Strandow, Findley, and Young (2014) argue that foreign aid is a type of rent prone to misuse by

leaders. Revenue collected by Somalia government as tax has a way of ensuring leaders remain

accountable and transparent. However, income in the form of rent is not accumulated through

taxation and overcomes the relation between the government and citizens. In support of this

statement, Sollenberg (2012) adds that aid increases the risk of war as it is distributed through

the government and maximizes the value of government's power.

Conclusion

Somalia is one of the highest recipients of foreign aid in the horn of Africa. Aid worth

millions of dollars is injected in the country every year, yet no significant progress has been

achieved on matters of economic development and peace. Conflicting parties create war that

hinder deliver of aid. In regions were peace prevails, it become easy to distribute relief food,

capital and firearms. However, foreign aid has failed to bring political stability and development

in Somalia as it attracts corruption and lack of integrity. While humanitarian aid has partly

played a good role in addressing the issue of war and poverty, it is one of the key reasons that

conflict in the African nation has endured for so long.

THE EFFECTS OF WAR AND PEACE ON FOREIGN AID 5

References

Aisha Ahmad (2013). Global Insider: Somalia’s ‘New Deal’ Must Aim to Reduce Foreign Aid

Dependence. World Politics Review. Retrieved from

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/13297/global-insider-somalia-s-new-

deal-must-aim-to-reduce-foreign-aid-dependence.

Grunewald, F. (2012). Aid in a city at war: the case of Mogadishu, Somalia. Disasters, 36(1),

105-125. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2012.01287.x.

Sollenberg, M. (2012). A scramble for rents: Foreign aid and armed conflict. Retrieved from

https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:512184/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Strandow, D., Findley, M. G., & Young, J. M. (2014). Foreign aid and the intensity of the violent

armed conflict. Retrieved from http://www.michael-

findley.com/uploads/2/0/4/5/20455799/foreign_aid_violent_conflict_strandow-findley-

young.pdf

Warsame, M. H., & Ireri, E. M. (2016). Does international monetary aid help or hinder Somalia's

social economic revival? Journal of Public Affairs, 16(4):350-358.

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