U.N. blames U.S. for aid cuts in Somalia

U.N. blames U.S. for aid cuts in Somalia

By Brittany Falkers

            U.N. officials told Associated Press reporters Friday that the supply of critical food aid to Somalia had been interrupted and that rations to starving people needed to be cut, partly because the U.S. government has delayed food contributions out of fears they would be diverted to terrorists.

            U.S. officials told Associated Press reporters last month that they had suspended millions of dollar of food aid because of concerns that Somali contractors working for the United Nations were funneling food and money to the Shabab, and Islamist insurgent group with growing ties to Al-Qaida.  

U.S. officials played down the effect of the delays and sid the food shipments would resume soon, once the U.S. government was assured the United Nations was doing more to police the aid deliveries, according to the Star Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/world/69423022.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Friday the World Food Program told Associated Press reporters, "The food supply line to Somalia is effectively broken."

            U.N. officials told Associated Press reporters that around 40 million pounds of American - donated food was being held up in warehouses in Mombasa, in neighboring Kenya, because U.S. officials were not allowing aid workers to distribute it until a new set of tighter regulations was ironed out, according to the New York Times.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/africa/07somalia.html

"We are totally dependent on this food, and people are now suffering, "Ahmed Mahamoud Hassan, the chairman of the drought committee in Galcaio, central Somalia told reporters.  "We have nothing else to eat."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/africa/07somalia.html

http://www.startribune.com/world/69423022.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr