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Between April and July 1994, the Rwandan genocide triggered one of the largest and
most rapid population displacements in recent history.
More than a million people were displaced within Rwanda and
over two million people fled to neighboring Tanzania, Burundi and Zaire.
The largest and most precarious refugee settlement centered around the small
lakeside town of Goma, across the border in Zaire,
now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This refugee crisis overwhelmed the international humanitarian community.
Thousands were left without water, food or shelter.
Within the camps, high levels of violence hindered relief efforts and
vulnerable groups were subject to intimidation, threats and violence.
By the end of July, epidemics of cholera and
dysentery further devastated the already desperate population.
Though they may have escaped the conflict on Rwanda,
over 48,000 Rwandan refugees died within their first month of arriving in Zaire.
Failures in Goma prompted heated debate and
introspection within the humanitarian community.
A key evaluation of emergency assistance to the Rwandan crisis criticized the aid
community for their inability to plan, prepare and scale for
complex emergencies like the one in Goma.
The reaction to what was seen by many as failures in emergency response raised
important questions that the humanitarian community would be forced to address.
How can the aid world anticipate complex emergencies like Goma so
it is not caught off guard?
How can it better serve needs across all sectors of humanitarian response,
including food, water, sanitation, shelter and security?
How can it ensure that a humanitarian response adheres to the concept of do
no harm?
These questions sparked a movement toward professionalizing the humanitarian
community In 1997.
This movement culminated in the Sphere Handbook,
a set of professional standards to improve the quality of humanitarian response.
These evolving standards for appropriate care,
aim to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered in accordance with the principle
of humanity, that all people have a right to life with dignity.
The crisis in Goma, highlighted the limitations of humanitarian response and
the dangers of a response without professional standards,
particularly in the face of acute needs.
As you think about the Goma case consider how the humanitarian community has
evolved to improve its performance and professionalism and
what gaps still exist in the aid world today.