According to World Food Programme Thousands of sacks of food aid meant for Somalia’s famine victims have been stolen and are being sold at markets in the same neighbourhoods where skeletal children in filthy refugee camps can’t find enough to eat, an Associated Press investigation has found.
The UN’s World Food Program for the first time acknowledged it has been investigating food theft in Somalia for two months. The WFP said that the “scale and intensity” of the famine crisis does not allow for a suspension of assistance, saying that doing so would lead to “many unnecessary deaths.” In September 2023, a United Nations investigation uncovered widespread
theft and misuse of food aid in Somalia, implicating landowners, local authorities, security personnel, and humanitarian workers. In response, the European Union temporarily suspended its funding to the World Food
Programme (WFP) in Somalia, pending the implementation of stricter oversight measures. The diversion of aid has severely impacted vulnerable populations, particularly internally displaced persons (IDPs). Reports indicate that some IDPs were coerced into surrendering up to half of their cash assistance under threats of eviction or arrest. Additionally, instances of in-kind food aid being stolen upon arrival at camps have been documented, with beneficiaries receiving minimal compensation.
