Friday, May 14, 2010
By Louis Charbonneau
In March, a UN committee that monitors compliance with a UN sanctions regime imposed on Somalia and Eritrea submitted a report to the Security Council that said as much as half the food aid sent to Somalia is diverted to a network of corrupt contractors, Islamist militants and local UN staff.
That report urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to open an independent investigation into World Food Program operations in Somalia and to create a database aimed at blacklisting people and firms linked to the kidnapping of aid workers.
In his latest report to the Security Council, Ban said the UN country team in Somalia has begun implementing a "risk management action plan" to address the problems highlighted in the Somalia monitoring group's March report.
He said a database has been designed that will include details on all UN service providers and contractors in Somalia so that they can be properly screened. He added that "due diligence" screening will be conducted as names are added to the database.
The report said there has also been a "revision of the internal controls over cash transfer systems within Somalia".
The monitoring group's report gave numerous examples of the problems facing aid organisations in the virtually lawless Horn of Africa state.
One example concerned a Somali businessman tied to al Shabaab rebels who likely received a ransom paid for kidnapped aid workers while working as a contractor for the World Food Programme and the UN children's fund Unicef.
Allegations of aid diversion had alarmed the United States, which cut back on support for the WFP in parts of Somalia controlled by al Shabaab, UN officials have said.
Source: Reuters