概要：据英国《每日邮报》报道，英国国际开发署日前在一份报告中承认，英国公民向索马里捐助的48万英镑（约454万元）人道主义救援物资两年前遭到“基地”组织分支伊斯兰青年军的劫掠，并很可能被焚烧殆尽。
这份报告引发了英国公众对政府保护救援物资能力的质疑。
这笔救援物资计划用于救助1300万名遭受饥荒和传染病折磨的东北非难民，但在2011年11月至2012年2月间遭到抢劫，并未送到受助者手中。
英国国际开发署称，他们在索马里当地的合作机构事前没有收到预警，所以无法阻止抢劫的发生。国际开发署还表示，他们的工作分布在全世界最危险的区域，贫穷和战乱导致这些地区危机四伏，所以财物损失是不可避免的。
英国政府承诺，到2015年，将国民总收入的0.7%用于人道救援，其总价值达110亿英镑（约1040亿元），但反对者认为这笔支出只会导致更多的浪费公款事件发生。
Al Qaeda terrorists in Somalia pillaged ￡480,000 worth of British aid in raid on contractors delivering humanitarian supplies
'Theft' of aid and equipment hidden in recent set of Government accounts
Contractors were targeted by al-Shabaab, Somali cell of Al Qaeda
Government: 'We work in some of the most dangerous places in the world'
Al Qaeda militants pillaged British taxpayer-funded aid worth almost ￡500,000, the Department for International Development has admitted.
The Government said that a Somali-based cell of Al Qaeda, known as al-Shabaab, plundered the vital humanitarian aid and equipment from approved contractors.
The loss was hidden in the small print of a recent set of Department for International Development (DfID) accounts which revealed ‘the theft’ of supplies worth ￡480,000 between November 2011 and February 2012.
It is understood that the supplies were stolen or destroyed in November 2011 when al-Shabaab went on the rampage through an area where some of DFiD’s local partners had a warehouse.
The report singles out al-Shabaab for blame and states: ‘DfID partners had no prior warning of the confiscations being carried out and therefore had no time to prevent the loss.’
Loss: It is believed the supplies were stolen by Al-Shabaab, the Somali-based cell of Al Qaeda, and burnt
A DfID spokesman added: ‘We work in some of the most dangerous places in the world, including Somalia, because tackling the root causes of poverty and instability there ensures a safer world.
'Working in conflict-affected and fragile states carries inherent risk. DfID does all it can to mitigate against this but, on occasion, losses will occur.’
More than 13?million people were reliant on humanitarian aid during the Horn of Africa crisis in November 2011. Starving people were dying of malaria and cholera and heavy rains made it impossible for aid workers to deliver supplies.
The disclosure that so much material went missing will raise fears that the Government is not doing enough to protect aid supplies.
Ministers have been under increasing pressure to justify a decision to protect overseas aid from spending cuts.
British aid is due to reach about ￡11?billion by 2015 to meet the Government’s promise that spending should be 0.7 per cent of gross national income. Critics say the 0.7 per cent figure encourages wasteful spending to meet the target.
Last night DfID was not able to confirm what sort of supplies had been lost in Somalia but suggested that they were burned by al-Shabaab rather than stolen. |
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