See footnote at the end of the article.
U.N. Probes if Somali Contractors Are Diverting Aid, Funding Rebels- Wall Street Journal, 16 Sept 2009.
By SARAH
CHILDRESS
NAIROBI, Kenya -- A United Nations group is investigating whether three
Somali contractors it uses to ship food aid to people in the war-ravaged country
are misappropriating aid and providing financial assistance to insurgent groups,
according to U.N. officials.
The U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia opened its probe in July, the officials
said. The U.N. World Food Program said it is also investigating allegations
regarding diversion of food assistance in the country.
A February U.N. internal report, written by U.N. officials and approved by
several of its agencies, including the WFP, said the food-distribution system in
Somalia posed "considerable risk to the reputation and effectiveness of the
organization," according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The WFP
declined to comment on the report.
The WFP says its operation in Somalia, one of the agency's largest, reaches
3.5 million people. Officials from the U.N., African Union and Somali government
say they are increasingly concerned about the dependability of some of the
contractors used by the WFP, which handed out $35 million in food-aid
distribution contracts in Somalia last year. It now uses 29 contractors.
The U.K. says it is considering withdrawing financial support for the Somalia
program because of concerns about food distribution; the U.S. has also
threatened to do so, according to a U.N. official close to the situation and a
Western diplomat with knowledge of the donors' concerns.
British officials said they are waiting for the outcome of the WFP's
investigation before deciding whether to suspend funding.
USAID, the U.S. agency that gives international humanitarian assistance, is
the biggest provider of funding to the WFP's Somalia program. A U.S. official
said the government "has been reviewing our policies and procedures for the
provision of humanitarian assistance in Somalia," including ensuring that the
donations comply with U.S. antiterrorism laws.
The U.S. has given more than $124 million in food aid for Somalia so far in
the 2009 fiscal year, according to the U.S. official.
Peter Smerdon, a spokesman for the WFP in Nairobi, said the WFP
inspector-general's office, which is separate from the Monitoring Group on
Somalia, is investigating allegations regarding diversion of food
assistance.
Denise Brown, the WFP's deputy country director for Somalia, said she wasn't
aware of the Monitoring Group's probe and therefore couldn't comment on it. "We
are, I think, quite happy, or satisfied, with the current system we are using,"
she said.
According to U.N. officials, investigators from the U.N. Monitoring Group on
Somalia are looking at Abukar Adani, a Somali businessman, along with some
family members and a network of companies they control. Investigators are also
looking at Abdulkadir Eno, a Somali-American businessman with interests in
Somali ports, and Somali businessman Mohamed Deylaf, these officials said. All
three deny misappropriating food aid.
Mr. Adani's son, Abdulkadir Abukar Omar Adani, the managing partner of the
family's main trading company, Swift Traders East Africa Co., said the Adani
family supports the current government. But he said that to transport food in
the country his company is sometimes forced to do business with groups such as
al Shabab, the main Islamist insurgency group, which is battling the government
and controls much of southern Somalia.
Mr. Adani said representatives from his company negotiate with these groups
and sometimes are required to pay them. "Sometimes they impose on you," he said.
Payments are part of doing business, and shouldn't be interpreted as a sign of
support for the rebel group, he said. "We are not involved in any politics," he
said.
Mr. Deylaf said he hasn't provided support to insurgents and supports the
government.
Mr. Eno also denied supporting insurgent groups and said he has a financial
interest in backing the government, which controls just a portion of the
capital, Mogadishu. "Our company believes that once peace and stability are
attained in Somalia, then our business activities would be sustainable," he
said.
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The recent article by WS Journal on UN probe on U.N. Probes if Somali Contractors Are Diverting Aid, Funding Rebels seems to make two erroneous points: 1) that all the food sent to Somalia are misusedwith no or little accountability, 2) that Somali contactors are basically responsible for the misuse. While the author indicated that an investigation is underway to determine what actually misuse took place, it has failed to indicate that it’s the WFP’s core responsibility to safeguard the resources entrust to them by donor countries? NOT the contractors, What mechanism is place? What are the check and balance used to safeguard the resources? It is also critically important to note this is an allegation that is yet to prove with deadly consequence. You cannot paint the names of prominent Somali businessman with unproved allegation. Millions of innocent Somalis who depend on WFP handout will certainly become victims of current stale and counter-accusations.
Cutting food aid in the middle of feminine may exacerbate an already fragile environment. In the light of UN probe, the UN and other agencies need to take a lead in providing badly need support for the millions of Somalis suffering from famine.
We encourage the donor countries continue providing food aid to Somalis, total suspension will be catastrophic for Somalia and the region at large.
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