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Alleged food aid seller arrested in Afghanistan

    KABUL

    A man who allegedly sold 72 tons of food aid destined for internally displaced persons (IDPs) along the border between the southern provinces of Zabul and Paktika, has been arrested, the National Security Department (NDS) said in a press statement on 20 January.



    “The accused has confessed that he sold 1,212 sacks of wheat, 224 cartons of cooking oil, 145 sacks of pulses and 12 bags of salt which were given to him by WFP [World Food Programme] for IDPs - to a merchant in Qalat City [Zabul Province] for one million Afghani [over US$20,000],” the statement said. NDS is Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and its officials do not respond to media queries.



    WFP spokeswoman in Kabul Challiss McDonough told IRIN WFP was taking the food diversion allegations very seriously. “We will aggressively investigate this case,” she said, without confirming the food aid sold had been donated by WFP.



    UN agencies do not have direct access to insecure southern provinces but run aid projects through local partners such as NGOs and government offices.



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    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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