Allegations of aid theft come to light as the Somali Disaster Management Agency evades scrutiny

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Allegations of aid theft come to light as the Somali Disaster Management Agency evades scrutiny

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – While pilfering of aid food has unfortunately been a recurrent issue in Somalia, a new twist unfolds as allegations point fingers at the Somali Disaster Management Agency, also known as SODMA, the very agency entrust

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Photo: Trucks seen carrying food aid to Middle Shabelle on Friday, 15 December 2023. Now community members claim the food aid is nowhere to be found.

MOGADISHU (HORN OBSERVER) – While pilfering of aid food has unfortunately been a recurrent issue in Somalia, a new twist unfolds as allegations point fingers at the Somali Disaster Management Agency, also known as SODMA, the very agency entrusted with aid delivery.

Following the dispatch of food-laden trucks from Mogadishu to Mahaday town in Middle Shabelle to aid the flood-ravaged community, reports from local members in Mahaday and Jowhar reveal that the promised aid is mysteriously absent three days later.

The members of the rural community in Mahaday and Jowhar now claim that the aid, nowhere to be found.

Initially showcased on social media, the trucks featured Middle Shabelle Governor Ahmed Meyre Makaran, Deputy Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Omar Mohamed, and Mahaday District Commissioner Salah Wiish.

Mr. Wiish explained that the trucks were displayed at Qurac Madobe, with distribution planned for December 15.

Contrary to the reported distribution plans, community members, who preferred to remain anonymous, allege that over 20 trucks of aid were mysteriously returned to Mogadishu and may have subsequently been sold.

A whistleblower captured a video depicting the unloading of trucks in the dead of night in Mogadishu, stirring further controversy.

The community’s allegations gained traction when the video surfaced on December 18, prompting calls on social media for an investigation and accountability.

The Somali National Disaster Management Agency released a statement stating that it sent 30 trucks to Mahaday district in Middle Shabelle. The aid included a boat designed to reach areas inaccessible by land for food delivery.

Despite attempts to seek clarification from Mr. Wiish on the aid distribution process, he redirected inquiries back to SODMA.

This controversy arises amidst recent revelations by a local journalist, exposing the construction of a multistory building purportedly owned by the Chairman of SODMA, Mohamud Moalim.

Chairman Moalim has yet to comment on these allegations.

This news follows concerns raised by members of the Lower House of the Somali Federal Parliament regarding corruption and aid diversion by high-level officials.

The parliament summoned officials from the interior ministry and SODMA in response to these allegations.

Chairman Moalim, addressing lawmakers, admitted to a shortage of funding, citing only 25 metric tons of aid provided by Russia.

However, the key question remains: how much of this aid reached the needy communities?

Amidst a backdrop of severe flooding affecting over 1.77 million people, claiming lives, displacing hundreds of thousands, and destroying homes and livelihoods, the hope for effective aid delivery hinges on addressing and eradicating corruption within the aid distribution system.