The European Commission temporarily suspends financial aid to Somalia
On Tuesday, the European Commission announced the temporary suspension of humanitarian aid funds to Somalia following an investigation conducted by the United Nations, which found extensive theft and misuse of support primarily intended to prevent famine.
Prominent officials in the European Union stated on Monday to Reuters that the European Commission had temporarily suspended funding for the World Food Program in Somalia due to the United Nations’ findings. The European Commission’s spokesperson, Balazs Ujvari, confirmed the temporary suspension on Tuesday, stating, “The Commission has not sought to suspend humanitarian operations in Somalia. However, given the issues identified in the report, the Commission is obliged to take some precautionary measures to protect EU funds, and as such, any further payments will be suspended pending clarifications and assurances regarding the resolution of the issues.”
A United Nations investigation concluded that landowners, local authorities, security forces personnel, and humanitarian relief workers were all involved in the theft of aid primarily intended for the most vulnerable.
Donors increased their funding to Somalia last year, with humanitarian officials warning of an impending famine due to the harshest drought in the Horn of Africa region in decades. Estimates from researchers suggest that up to 43,000 people died last year due to drought-related causes.
The budget for humanitarian assistance provided by the United Nations to Somalia is expected to reach 72 million euros (77 million dollars), with ten million euros (10.68 million dollars) allocated to the World Food Program.
The United States is the largest humanitarian aid donor in Somalia by a significant margin. Last year, it contributed more than half of the $2.2 billion in funding that went to humanitarian response efforts there.
Three months ago, the World Food Program and the U.S. Agency for International Development suspended food aid to neighboring Ethiopia due to concerns about the diversion of donations. A spokesperson for the agency, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the situations in Ethiopia and Somalia are different, and the agency does not plan to halt food assistance in Somalia.
