WFP Condemns the Stealing of Food Aid

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says it has ‘zero tolerance’ for any case in which food aid fails to reach the needy, amid reports that shipments of food have been stolen in famine-hit Somalia.

WFP deputy executive director, Sheila Sisulu, points out that, “when we hear of food gone astray we immediately investigate," adding that the agency brings 5 000 tons of food a month into the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The comments come after an investigation by The Associated Press found that sacks of grain and other food staples meant for starving Somalis are being stolen and sold in Somali markets, raising concerns that the unscrupulous are stealing from international famine relief efforts.

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