The port manager later asserted the food had been moved into containers and remained accessible.
The World Food Programme disputed that claim, saying the food likely spoiled because it required specialized storage conditions.
The World Food Programme oversees distribution of the aid.
The disappearance of U.S. food aid comes amid longstanding allegations of corruption within Somalia’s humanitarian system.
Somalia parliament member Abdillahi Hashi Abib, who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to U.S. officials warning that 90 percent of Somalia’s humanitarian assistance comes from the United States and that the Somali Disaster Management Agency has been defrauding donors.
Abib said aid funds have been captured and monetized by a single family network and its clan affiliates.
He alleged that three brothers of the agency’s chairman each receive $15,000 monthly salaries, paid through their wives, while the agency’s finance department and training unit are run by the chairman’s uncles.
Abib also claimed that food donations from the United States, European Union, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and China are routinely sold in Mogadishu markets after staged photo opportunities. Continue reading…
