«We are neither scouts nor rambos»

Toni Frisch, Head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit 

Why do the Confederation's humanitarian aid activities need armed protection?
Toni Frisch: Our work in conflict regions has become more difficult and risky in recent years. Last year some 260 aid workers were either killed in violent attacks, seriously wounded, or kidnapped. Humanitarian workers are highly exposed and need the best possible security if they are to reach the victims.

How is the protection of Swiss aid workers currently organised?
We turn to local civilian personnel with whom the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations also work. The UN is mostly responsible for the system of security. We always coordinate with these organisations, and this has worked so far.

Are these organisations demanding that Switzerland look after its own protection?

No, I have never felt any pressure along those lines. But several UN organisations are very interested in our ideas.

Have there been situations in the past in which armed Swiss security personnel may have been needed?
We cannot use the past to prove that something may be needed in the future. To date we have had no security incidents with serious consequences, no doubt because our conduct has been exemplary.

And won't you be continuing that way in the future?
Oh yes, of course! But the problem is becoming more acute. We are responsible for our personnel – both Swiss and local. Should something happen, questions would be raised immediately. If I then say that we were not prepared for the situation, we will be considered to have been asleep. We will of course continue to avoid tricky situations as far as possible. We are neither scouts nor rambos. In the event that we have armed security personnel at our disposal in the future, we would do the utmost not to use them as long as the situation can be resolved otherwise.

How do you explain the declining number of attacks on the ICRC in recent years even though it still foregoes armed protection?
Perhaps the ICRC has simply been lucky. Besides, its mandate is to work on both sides. We do manage this sometimes, but we cannot do so everywhere and at all times. And the ICRC too works in refugee camps that are under armed protection, for example in Darfur. In that case, the task of protection is simply being discharged by other parties.

The ICRC holds active dialogue with groups that could threaten its security. Could that not be a strategy for the Confederation's humanitarian aid programme?
That is often a question of time. Where we or the development programme have been present for a long time, one can build on existing trust and confidence. But we regularly find ourselves in places that are new to us, where we must start from scratch. Besides, situations are growing increasingly more complex. Good knowledge and connections can be built up in a relatively short time and that improves security – until new political forces suddenly emerge and alter the landscape.

Armed protection can also increase the risk to humanitarian aid if this is no longer perceived as neutral or independent.
There are many who still say that «humanitarian personnel are never armed». But life has changed, and as such we cannot simply keep clinging to old principles. We must find forward-looking solutions for the security problem. A special force for the worst-case scenario would be akin to the army or fire brigade – we have them, though we hope we will never need them.

Interview: Michèle Laubscher
Published in: Alliance Sud News, no. 61, Autumn 2009