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LadyEllen -> business is business in Somalia (6/15/2009 12:44:20 PM)
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Its a shame those refugee kids are dying of course, but business is business according to market traders in Mogadishu selling UN food aid.
Such blatant criminality is no surprise of course in a country where survival of the fittest is the only rule of law.
What is more surprising is that the market traders dont have to steal the UN aid - rather they say its officers of the World Food Programme who sell it to them, direct from the warehouses, which if true is extremely serious, not just because there are refugees starving to death, not just because this would be corruption and criminality on the part of ordinary UN officials rather than the consequence of inefficiency or poor oversight, and not just because its a theft from donor nations that may discourage further giving and provoke more suffering.
The world (well the more civilised parts) has come together primarily to protect these shipments from piracy, risking the lives of sailors and what are very expensive naval assets, to ensure an adequate flow of food aid to the refugees. Instead it would appear that all that risk and the associated expense is primarily protecting the black market traders' and their UN accomplices' interests.
Business is business indeed.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/africa/un+probe+after+aid+stolen+from+somalia+refugees/3208557
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