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Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) was a humanitarian assistance program established in 1989 through a consortium of NGOs and UN agencies in order to alleviate human suffering in Southern Sudan (Philpot 2011, 4). The operation was established in response to the human suffering resulting from the Second Sudanese Civil War and was the largest coordinated humanitarian effort of its kind (Grote 2015, 1). OLS made a great impact on Sudan through the operation’s abilities to coordinate with multiple organizations and agencies, negotiate with parties of the conflict, enhance local networks, and address systemic issues to create peace building opportunities (IRIN 2014, 2).

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The Terms of the Project

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Initially, OLS was to be a short-term relief operation; however, the Sudanese Civil War lasted from 1989-2005, making the operation one of the largest and most complex relief operations in the world. An important aspect of OLS was that it was the first operation in which the UN dealt and negotiated with a non-state armed groups without conferring recognition upon them. The aim of OLS was to deliver sufficient food aid into southern Sudan to feed approximately two million civilians and bring in 100,000 tons of food over the course of 6 weeks before the rainy season made the roads impassable. The project officially launched on 1 April 1989 in Nairobi (Akol 2005, 1).
 
The following were the terms that formed the basis of Operation Lifeline Sudan:

• The UN has to deal with all the parties involved in the conflict that control territory through which convoys and relief items pass.  

• Negotiation with those involved in the conflict to provide safe and unhindered passage and delivery of relief items to the needy population (Akol 2005, 1).

 

The Objectives and Methods

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In order for OLS to be successful, it relied on politically neutral and impartial aid programming, investments in good information systems and analysis, and program assessment and monitoring (Macrae 1996, 6). At the start of the operation, the objective of the OLS was to prevent starvation and decrease rates of death by famine in Bahr el-Ghazal and Southern Kordofan. OLS worked to provide food and relief to populations in high risk and targeted areas. As the operation became better established and the war continued, the operation’s objectives widened. OLS objectives expanded to assist displaced populations as well as provide emergency relief. In 1994 (with revisions in 1995), OLS clearly stated their objectives as follows:

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• Prevent unnecessary suffering and hunger through delivery of essential food items.

• Decrease morbidity and mortality rates within the civilian population.

• Assist civilian population to re-establish survival and coping mechanisms.  

• Restore fundamental social services.

• Enhance the lives of the people of South Sudan.

• Promote the rights of civilians impacted by war.

• Reduce malnutrition.

 

The Local Food Economies

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Taking into consideration what the population's needs are is essential to the effectiveness of the humanitarian programs. For example, OLS found that the needs of those in the Northern Sector were different from those in the Southern Sector of the country depending on the wage labor, agricultural labor, and sharecropping status of each region.

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Assessment methods had to be developed in order to get a coherent picture of the ever-changing food security situation in Sudan to accurately understand the underlying causes for issues such as malnutrition and mortality. Before the operation launched, baseline information was gathered on the livelihoods and food security of those living in the impacted regions; however, it can be difficult to develop and maintain the necessary level of in-depth understanding without a field presence on the ground.
 

The Needs and Aid Requirements

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In addition to gauging what type of food and supplies the population needs, a team must also estimate how much is needed. A key component to the success of OLS was estimating the needs of the populations and calculating their food aid requirements. OLS found this task difficult, which highlights the need for on-the-ground field teams who can collect needed information which can be sent back to headquarters. A presence on the ground would make it possible to gauge if supply drops actually reached target populations.

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References

Akol, Lam. “Operation Lifeline Sudan: War, Peace, and Relief in Southern Sudan,” 2005.
Accessed at Conciliation Resources website:

www.c-r.org/accord/engaging-armed-groups/operation-lifeline-sudan

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Grote, A. (2015, February 17). Operation Lifeline Sudan. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from
http://borgenproject.org/operation-lifeline-sudan/
 

IRIN. (2014, November). Any lessons from Operation Lifeline Sudan? Retrieved June 21, 2016, from http://www.irinnews.org/report/100837/any-lessons-operation-lifeline-sudan

Macrae, J. (1996, November). Conflict, Conditionalities and the Continuum: Key issues
emerging from the Review of Operation Lifeline Sudan - ODI HPN. Retrieved June 21,
2016, from http://odihpn.org/magazine/conflict-conditionalities-and-the-continuum-key-issues-emerging-from-the-review-of-operation-lifeline-sudan/
 

Philpot, H. (2011). Operation Lifeline Sudan: Challenges During Conflict and Lessons Learned. University of Denver. http://www.du.edu/korbel/crric/media/documents/hollyphilpot.pdf

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