Increased capacity

Following the tsunami, the SRSA was charged with increasing Sweden's capac­ity to support Swedish residents affected by disasters abroad. This structure was put to the test in the summer of 2006, when Is­raeli troops invaded Lebanon. At the time, Jan lapani and Tord Schyberg were the team leaders of the SRSA Joint Response Team,

which worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Church of Sweden, the Police and others.

«The conflict situation escalated quickly while we were there. We had to redo our risk assessments constantly," remembers Tord Schyberg.

Cyprus was used as a base for transportation home for Swedish residents, and at a local level the SRSA collaborated with the Cypriot Civil Defence.

«We had a series of difficult situations to solve, like that of a family from Skovde who got stuck right in the middle of an area that was being bombed. In the end we managed to help them out by boat."

The crisis flared up in the summer, right e holiday season, which made the situation even more difficult. A total of 9,000 Swedish residents were trans­ported home. At the same time, all accom­modation and transport was fully booked - hotels, flights and boats. There was tough competition for the resources that were avail­able, as other countries were also seeking to transport their residents via this area.

"We managed to organize logistics chains, accommodation, buses and flights. We dis­tributed nappies and toys to families with young children. Another important ele­ment of the work was to help people deal with the difficult situations they had en­countered.

"Regardless of our employer - the SRSA, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Na­tional Board of Health and Welfare, or another organization – we worked as a team, and things went extremely well.»

Several dimensions of humanitarian aid

Twenty years after the first operation, the SRSAs work to develop and improve procedures and systems is still ongoing. On early operations, personnel and equipment were picked up along the way as temporary solu­tions. Today, ready-made structures are in place. However, the SRSA's knowledge and skills are constantly improving, and there is a strong awareness that what is current­ly done well could be done even better. A major part of this improvement is about including cultural, ethnic and gender-related perspectives in our operations - both in or­der to make the most of our experience and to ensure that our operations benefit all.

«It`s about methods and attitudes, but also about practical solutions. We should not just be building housing that is adapted for the climate. It should also be adapted for gender concerns, with separate showers for men and women, and constructed with attention to the ethnic and religious context,» explains Lars Johansson, head of a section of the International Department.

Political support from an early stage

Today, the UN and the EU regularly call on the SRSA in the context of international aid operations. There are many reasons for this, primarily the political support and the clear mandate to support the UN that the SRSA me Swedish government, which was taken on board by an enthusiastic and committed Director General.

The SRSA also had the right skills and experience for rescue operations in unex­pected areas such as search and rescue work in earthquake zones, where the rescue dogs that had been trained for civil defense work were suited to the task like hand in glove. The necessary skills were also present in more obvious places, among the military, medical and rescue personnel that were trained to be able to solve difficult situa­tions under demanding circumstances.

Many also mention other strengths that are common among the Swedish teams.

"We are not particularly formal. Doc­tors from Swedish teams will happily help dig ditches if that's what needs to be done. We can tackle any tasks," says fire chief Leif Andren, who has built refugee housing and bridges in Bosnia and been involved in earthquake operations, the aftermath of the tsunami and arranging transport home from Lebanon for Swedish residents.

Head of section Lars Johansson has a different explanation:

"Whatever we do, we do it with passion and commitment. It's never a problem to get people to give up their evenings and weekends. We have a strong interest in all things humanitarian."

Driving through the danger-zone

"The Swedish support team was asked to take responsibility for transporting supplies between the airport and the city centre, along an infamous stretch of road known as Snipers' Alley."

THE LONGEST AND MOST extensive mission that the SRSA's International Department carried out in its first 20 years was transporting supplies in the former Yugoslavia. Kjell Larsson, head of the international department of SRSA, was invol­ved from the outset in 1992, and looking back he recognises it as an extremely dangerous operation. He doubts whether these journeys would be carried out if the same circumstances existed today.

"It was difficult to assess the safety of the area. But there was desperate need among the civilian population. Following a request from the UN, the Swedish support team was stationed in Sarajevo and asked to take responsibility for transporting supplies between the airport and the city centre, along an infamous 3 km stretch of road known as Snipers' Alley," says Kjell Larsson.

For one week, the team drove food, medicine, tents, blankets and other supplies into the city from the airport. However, the UN soon judged the work to be too risky. There was gunfire every day and one convoy had to seek shelter after a number of grenades deto­nated around them.

"The Swedish support team was transferred to Split in southern Croatia. From there, supplies were driven eastwards over the moun­tains to Vitez and Sarajevo. The roads were practically non-existent, more like dirt tracks, but it was a safer route," explains Kjell Larsson.

he participated in some of the journeys, and has one unforgetta­ble memory from Vitez.

"We were staying in a building with walls made of plywood. In the room next door was a Danish mercenary soldier - ravaged, drunk and armed. He offered us beer and made it more or less impossible to say no. Then he proudly told us all about how he had killed in­nocent people. It was horrific and frightening. Sleeping next door to his room, which was full of ammu­nition and explosives, was pretty uncomfortable. It was a relief to be able to leave the next morning."

Kjell Larsson's primary re­sponsibility was ensuring that the transport of supplies happened as smoothly as possible, and that things like storage management, administration, procurement and repairs did not cause any prob­lems for the personnel in the field. Sometimes this involved bending the rules a little.

"On one occasion we were told there was a major shortage of infant formula. This information came just hours before a flight was due to leave from Sturup airport in Skane, southern Sweden. Through our contacts we were able to get hold of a large amount of formula in the middle of the night, from a local shopkeeper. We're not re­ally supposed to do that, but we managed to get it onto the flight," remembers Kjell Larsson.

He was constantly aware that the risk of being criticized and challenged was inherent to the mission. In the context of the lack of safety in the area, the slight­est mistake could change people's view of the operation.

"It's hard to draw the line between what we should and shouldn't do. If something was to go wrong it would be easy for peo­ple to say we were amateurs in a war zone and that we had no right to be there," says Kjell Larsson.

The SRSA also helped with ref­ugee transportation. That caused several situations where safety was compromised. Our convoys were shot at on several occasions and stones were thrown at the vehicles. One convoy got stuck at the line of fighting and several refugees died in the crush of people trying to board the trucks.

"Working in conditions that are this dangerous, controversial, physically strenuous and exhaust­ing really help the team to bond, but it also takes its toll on your mental and physical health. I was transferred to another position in 1993, and I later returned to Bos­nia. On my return I saw the con­flict from a different perspective. When I visited the village of Cajnice, the mayor proudly showed me how they had fired shells at the neighbouring area from the village. I was in that very area one year earlier - being shelled," re­counts Kjell Larsson.

When the SRSA's operation drew to a close in 1994, they had transported a total of 27,000 tons of supplies and 10,000 refugees.