A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SUCCESSES, FAILURES AND CHALLENGES OF HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION AS A CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TOOL

The need for humanitarian intervention though critical continues to be elusive in many conflict situations despite there being clear international, regional and local guiding policies and legal frameworks on humanitarian intervention. The study therefore sought to critically analyses the successes, failures and challenges of humanitarian intervention as a conflict management tool using the just war theory as the underpinning theory. The study assumed the desktop methodology through extensive review of existing literature on humanitarian intervention as a conflict management tool. The analysis found that humanitarian intervention is justifiable in instances where there are gross human rights violations, however; certain factors must be put into consideration before embarking on the intervention. Successful interventions were found to largely dependent on multiple factors key among them being the involvement of stakeholders in the entire process. The study also revealed that not all interventions are successful and some have resulted in various degrees of failure largely due to challenges of timing, coordination, vested interests among interveners as well as geo-political factors. The paper concludes by recommending that humanitarian interventions should be based on the existing legal frameworks devoid of any strategic motives. Equally, interventions should involve key stakeholders and adopt context specific measures to cater for the different needs of a conflict situation to avert further human rights abuses