Paper short abstract:

Eastern DRC is a hub of humanitarian intervention. Everyday humanitarianism here is, in effect, already African: over 90% of aid workers are Congolese. This paper examines the everyday practices and collaborations in the ‘Congolese space of aid’ which shape what humanitarianism means in practice.

Paper long abstract:

The Circle of Security is a network of Congolese humanitarians who work in security management for different NGOs – some ‘local’, some ‘international’ – in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although they hold a variety of different job titles, the members perform a common function: they collect and analyse information in a protracted conflict and maintain a network amongst local authorities and armed actors, so that NGOs can negotiate access in a volatile region. The members of the Circle represent the backbone of the humanitarian presence in the region. As one of the founders put it, “this is our Congolese space of aid.” Many have worked here for decades, rotating between different agencies over time. Aid agencies have remained in the eastern DRC since their arrival en masse in the 1990s. Too often, accounts of everyday humanitarianism focus on foreign intervenors. This overlooks the fact that most humanitarians on the ground – over 90% – are Congolese. Beyond ‘localisation’ or ‘partnership’ discourses, everyday humanitarianism is, in effect, already African. This paper explores everyday lives in the ‘Congolese space of aid’: the practices and collaborations between experienced Congolese aid workers that shape what humanitarianism looks like in practice, whatever the aid organisation. This moves beyond a binary of ‘local’ or ‘international’ agencies and marks a radical shift in how to conceptualise humanitarianism: from institutions to local people on the ground, their networks, and histories.