U.N. Deals With Alleged Somali Food Distribution ‘Cartel’

On March 10, 2010, the same day it was slammed in a report to the United Nations for “irregular” procedures in supplying food to war-ravaged Somalia — the embattled World Food Program promised it “would not engage in any new work” with three Somali food distributors alleged in the report to operate a “de facto cartel” dominating the relief agency’s food delivery business.

Yet two months later, on May 11, 2010, according to WFP documents examined by Fox News, the U.N. relief agency signed off on deals to pay more than $75,000 to at least one of the embargoed firms, for “transportation/logistical services,” even though WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran’s announced freeze on business with the company was still in force.

According to a WFP spokesman, a detailed review of WFP’s Somalia operations is “expected to start this month,” under the auspices of the Auditor General of India, who has just begun serving a term as the relief organization’s external, i.e., independent, auditor.

The spokesman added that “it will be left to WFP’s executive board to decide whether the results of the external audit are made public.” (The board is made up of 35 nations, including the U.S.; it supervises and authorizes WFP’s activities at twice-yearly meetings.)

Read the full article at Fox News