Jean-Michel Piedagnel, director of Médecins Sans Frontières, tells Alex Vass why the concept of a “humanitarian” war is wrong
Jean-Michel Piedagnel left his management job with a French sailboat company in 1995 at the start of the Yugoslav conflict. He felt that the international community had not done enough to prevent the conflict and joined Médecins Sans Frontières. He has been the executive director of the organisation for just under a year.
“I felt frustrated. I had always been interested in doing something for the world, and there are only a few ways you can get involved. You can join the military, you can get into politics, or you can join the humanitarian world.”
He is passionate that these three options should remain distinct—and that humanitarian groups remain faithful to the definition of the word. “The problem with the word humanitarian is that it has become synonymous with charity or assistance. It has lost its original meaning, which is of neutral, impartial, and independent assistance, with no political or religious aim.
“Over the last 10-20 years we have seen development non-governmental organisations and governments use the word ‘humanitarian’ to cover political concerns and we have seen the dilution of what humanitarian assistance is.
“Governments have been very keen to promote the concept of a ‘humanitarian war’—that soldiers are sent out for humanitarian reasons. That's all nonsense. British troops are in Afghanistan to impose a political settlement. So there is a contradiction—they are a warring party.
“Peace keeping is a political process. Any involvement of the military involves politics, and humanitarian groups should be outside politics.” He says that his organisation's work has been hampered by political or military involvement in the delivery of aid.
“The problem is that when humanitarian groups are seen to move into countries alongside government forces they will be seen as part of those forces. People who disagree with the presence of a government will also see the agency as a target. That is why we scream and shout about the US government's ‘bombs and bread’ policy and the ‘humanitarian war’ in Afghanistan. This overlap causes less and less respect for humanitarian workers—whose only aim is to help people.”
Médecins Sans Frontières, which was founded by a small group of French doctors in 1971, has been working in Afghanistan since 1979 and operates in 14 areas across the country.
It supplies emergency medical relief to populations in distress—to victims of natural and other disasters and victims of armed conflict. Piedagnel is clear about the aims of the organisation: “We are there when a health system cannot cope. We have no other ambition; once things stabilise we go.”
His present concern is that organisations such as his are being asked about long term reconstruction. “You have enough politicians, enough diplomats, and enough military people to plan that, without asking a humanitarian worker.
“We will not participate in the political settlement in Afghanistan.”