Millions of people in Somalia have been impacted by the country’s drought for years, with climate change affecting both agriculture and livestock production, while an influx of assistance has narrowly helped avoid wide-scale famine.
But my colleague Colum Lynch reports that many of Somalia’s most vulnerable are being extorted with a “coercive system of taxes on U.S.-funded aid recipients.”
A highly confidential investigation into the scheme — which is perpetrated by a network of Somali landowners, clan leaders, police, and other local authorities — was commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. It comes in the wake of revelations that U.S.-funded aid distributed by the World Food Programme was being sold on the black market in Ethiopia, demonstrating how difficult it is becoming for the humanitarian system to navigate a complex system in vulnerable contexts where it is unreasonable to track every last bag of rice.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
