Aid agencies working in Somalia responded to a report alleging that more than half of the aid provided to Somalis through local World Food Programme (WFP) contractors was not reaching the needy. Mark Bowden, the UN’s aid chief in Somalia disputed the report of the UN Monitoring Group in Somalia, saying that the evidence cited was nonexistent or “based on ‘hearsay’.”
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran stated that Somalia is the WFP’s “most dangerous and complex operation,” which has invited problems, but also stricter monitoring of aid delivery.
The controversy over the report and responses to it have not countered the loss of aid pledged to aid Somalis who still suffer major food shortages. The UN Security Council may still appoint its own independent inquiry to investigate the report’s findings.
Posted by Michael Lucivero.
Photo credit: Associated Press.