Forum for Development Studies
Volume 41, Issue 1, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/sfds20/current
Rebels and Aid in the Context of Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Disaster: A Comparison of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE)
DOI: 10.1080/08039410.2013.832704
Gyda Marås Sindrea*
pages 1-21
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039410.2013.832704#.U0Gbh1cWNdc
Abstract
Development aid and humanitarian assistance are increasingly subject to conditionalities aimed to secure progress in peace talks and curb rebel predatory behaviour. Comparing how Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka strategised on the basis of aid before and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, this article shows that rebel leaderships use peace negotiations to push for control over the administration of aid as a means to expand their governance capacities as de facto state actors. I argue that while peace conditionalities may encourage peace talks and ceasefires that provide space for humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, it is a poor tool to curb rebel predatory behaviour and encourage peace settlements. Yet, as is illustrated by the GAM case, conditionalities may have positive effects on long-term peace in the immediate post-settlement phase. The findings suggest that at this stage of the peacebuilding process, inclusion of rebels into the formal aid bureaucracy may work to encourage the transformation of militarist structures to secure political stability.