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DE RUEHRN #0077/01 3450946
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P 110946Z DEC 09
FM USMISSION UN ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1219
INFO RUEHC/USAID WASHDC
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RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0044
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RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 1295

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 UN ROME 000077 
 
SENSITIVE 
CORRECTED COPY 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/HS, PRM/MCE AND EB/IFD/ODA 
USAID FOR DCHA, FFP, OFDA, AND AFRICA BUREAU 
NAIROBI FOR GEORGIANNA PLATT, SUREKA KHANDAGLE AND NICK COX 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: WFP SO AORC EAID PREF UN
SUBJECT: WORLD FOOD PROGRAM BRIEFING ON SOMALIA COMMODITY DIVERSIONS 
INVESTIGATION: 'NO WRONGDOING' BY WFP STAFF 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
--------------- 
Summary 
--------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On December 4, WFP Deputy Executive Director (DED) 
Amir Abdulla and Inspector General (IG) Suresh Sharma briefed 
Executive Board members on the just completed internal 
investigation into alleged diversions of WFP commodities in 
Somalia.  The investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of 
WFP or WFP-contracted transporters. However, between 2-10 
percent of commodities were found in Mogadishu markets, 
resulting in the cancellation of working agreements of six 
implementing partners (IPs), issuance of warning letters to two 
other IPs, and the suspension of deliveries to the Bakool 
region.  (An unsubstantiated 10 percent is also believed to have 
been diverted across border to Kenya.)  The investigation also 
found gaps in needs assessments, monitoring and access, 
logistics supply chain, and information-sharing.  IG 
recommendations include developing an alternative framework of 
operations in procurement, transportation, and other areas where 
conditions are limiting.  WFP reported it is in the process of 
enhancing certain systems and ramping up contingency planning in 
response to recent declarations by Al-Shabaab or other similar 
groups (plans should be firmed up in the coming days).  If WFP 
is no longer permitted to operate in Al-Shabaab-controlled 
territories, WFP's approximate 3.4 million beneficiary workload 
would be halved.  DED Abdulla stressed that, as reports of 
deficiencies were received from the field, HQ took immediate 
corrective measures (see Paragraph 6). 
End summary. 
 
¶3.   (SBU)  In response to donor requests for information and as 
announced during its Second Regular Session of the WFP Executive 
Board in early November, WFP called a briefing on December 4 to 
update Board members on its recently concluded investigation 
into alleged diversions of WFP commodities in Somalia.  Due to 
the last minute notification, a Rome-wide transportation strike 
and competing meetings, attendance was low with participation 
from only Canada, Finland, the European Commission, Iran 
(curiously represented by both the Ambassador and his deputy), 
Italy, Mexico, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Background and Investigation Summary 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) IG Sharma reported that the WFP Country Office (CO) 
launched an internal investigation after the UK's Channel 4 News 
story broke on June 15, 2009, about alleged diversions of WFP 
commodities.  Due to limited access for WFP staff in certain 
parts of Somalia, the CO contracted two private firms based in 
Nairobi to begin investigating the claims.  A team from WFP/HQ, 
including the IG, subsequently traveled to Nairobi to interview 
WFP staff, transporters, journalists, traders, NGOs, donors and 
UN partners, in an effort to "triangulate" the information 
gathered by the private firms.  The investigation's findings 
centered on six allegations which were supported or refuted as 
follows: 
 
A) WFP staff selling commodities:   The investigation found no 
evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of WFP staff selling 
commodities to traders.  Similarly, there was no evidence of 
traders purchasing commodities from WFP staff.   According to 
the IG, WFP engages transporters at the port and monitors the 
transfer of goods with no actual "hands" on the food.   However, 
the investigation could neither confirm nor deny the role of WFP 
implementing partners (IPs).  Also, in an attempt to ascertain 
what happened to the extra food that was leftover at sites that 
had fewer beneficiaries than planned, the report came to two 
conclusions:  camp elders may have distributed the extra food 
 
UN ROME 00000077  002 OF 004 
 
 
evenly in camps, as is a common practice, or beneficiaries 
confirmed to the investigative team that they themselves had 
sold some of their food for other goods (such as soap and other 
hygiene products). 
 
B) Creation of fictional IDP camps:  The investigation found no 
evidence of fictional camps.  However, the number of 
beneficiaries in some camps differed from the planning figures 
WFP used when allocating resources.  Reasons for this difference 
include:  using year-old beneficiary data from UNICEF; fluid 
movement of beneficiaries between camps in the Afgooye corridor, 
with family units sometimes leaving behind one member to collect 
family rations; and, although the number has not been 
substantiated, one camp appeared to have a higher number of 
beneficiaries than originally planned, resulting in the 
perception that fewer commodities were delivered. 
 
C)   Diverted commodities sold on markets: In a special bag 
marking exercise utilizing two different methodologies, there 
were two instances where between 2 percent (20 MT or 
approximately 400 bags) and 10 percent (900 MT out of 9,000 MT) 
of WFP commodities destined for the Afgooye corridor were found 
in Mogadishu markets. 
 
D) Transporters partially offloading consignments at camps:  The 
investigation did not detect any transporters diverting 
commodities, but such a perception may have resulted since not 
all commodities are offloaded at the first campsite.  "A very 
small truck (run by an IP) comes thru the corridor the day after 
commodities are distributed, collecting small bags," according 
to the IG. 
 
E) Beneficiaries receiving partial rations:  The investigation 
found no evidence of a deliberate reduction in rations on the 
part of WFP.  However, as previously noted, community practice 
by elders is to evenly distribute any commodities arriving in 
camps.  As camp numbers rise and fall, beneficiaries either get 
more or less food than planned under this arrangement. 
 
F) Beneficiaries eating boiled leaves:  The IG reported that 
there could have been occasions when food was not delivered for 
a period of up to several weeks due to limited access or when 
distribution was reduced due to good harvest, but the 
investigation did not observe beneficiaries eating boiled 
leaves.  Similarly, with regard to the Channel 4 News 
allegations that beneficiaries were malnourished, the 
investigation revealed that the allegation was based on an 
interview by a Nairobi-based MSF doctor who gave general 
responses to general questions, e.g., the reason for rising 
number of malnourished was due to lack of food, but comments 
were taken out of context. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
Investigation Recommendations and Corrective Actions by WFP 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The investigation found gaps in needs assessments, 
monitoring and access, logistics supply chain, and 
information-sharing.  The IG made a series of recommendations: 
 
A) Alternate business plan:  WFP needs to develop an alternative 
framework of operations in procurement and transportation, among 
other areas, where conditions are limiting.  The framework 
should be developed and shared with the Board and take into 
account risk and risk management (e.g., issues relating to 
further displacement of people); 
 
B) Information gaps:  The CO should reconcile information gaps 
from multiple sources to compensate for needs assessment and 
monitoring gaps related to limited access by staff (it was noted 
that national staff from one region are not permitted to travel 
to another region).  Data should also be triangulated, e.g., on 
commodity amounts, on a regular basis.  And joint food 
 
UN ROME 00000077  003 OF 004 
 
 
assessment missions, which are currently done at the district 
level, should also be conducted at the final distribution 
points.  The CO should also make a concerted effort to move or 
rotate staff conducting assessments.  With regard to the 
perception and exaggeration of information, especially with the 
Board, WFP could share more information with donors to correct 
misinformation on the part of the media; and 
 
C) Logistics supply chain: although not covered in the Channel 4 
News report, the investigation revealed deficiencies with the 
internal management of projects.  WFP should institute an 
internal control system especially in cases where commodities 
cross multiple hands. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) WFP action to date: DED Abdulla stressed that, as 
reports of deficiencies were received from the field, HQ took 
corrective measures as follows: 
 
A)  Instituted a month-long, cross-border monitoring on claims 
that commodities were being diverted to Kenya (although it was 
difficult to get an exact picture, WFP projected about 10 
percent of commodities were diverted); 
 
B) Special bag markings were used to determine the source of 
leakages from the Afgooye corridor, which helped to narrow down 
which IPs and transporters may have been responsible.  This led 
to the cancellation of working agreements with six IPs, the 
issuance of warning letters to two IPs, and the suspension of 
deliveries to the Bakool region.   (NOTE: WFP works with 126 IPs 
throughout Somalia, less than 60 of which operate in areas of 
Lower Shabelle where WFP cancelled contracts.  END NOTE) 
Although transporters were not implicated, WFP also issued 
warning letters to six transporters to let them know that WFP is 
"watching them like hawks."  (In one instance WFP found a 
conflict of interest between a married couple in which the 
husband was the director of a transport company and the wife was 
the head of an IP - WFP canceled that contract as an immediate 
action.)  DED also reported that WFP contracts include clauses 
with penalties if an IP is found to be coercing beneficiaries, 
and at the start of the investigation WFP suspended payments to 
all contractors. 
 
C)  Alternative operating framework and enhancing systems: 
Recognizing that an "off the shelf" program is not applicable in 
Somalia, in order to better target beneficiaries WFP is 
contemplating the idea of working thru elders (as a trusted 
social safety net).  WFP is also implementing a more sensitive 
system of risk assessment including costs of not operating in 
certain areas.  WFP may accept a certain degree of decreased 
monitoring if this prevents large-scale movement of people.  WFP 
is also working with IPs to improve their reporting 
requirements.  Relative to IPs, WFP is developing new credible 
selection criteria which will be applied to new partners; 
 
D) Degrees of access:  WFP is classifying areas (from "free and 
unfettered," which means rigorous monitoring, to "no access," 
with the Afgooye corridor being the most difficult).  WFP 
sub-offices are now implementing access/monitoring plans.  Food 
distributions in Bay and Lower Shabelle have been suspended 
because the risk to monitoring staff is too high (DED Abdulla 
noted that WFP may need to reinstitute distributions after the 
January harvest); 
 
E) Logistics supply chain:   An improved vetting process in 
selecting transporters thru a transportation selection committee 
has been established.  The committees will allocate distribution 
accordingly (at the beginning of the month, the logistics unit 
will review contracts and produce a report at the end of the 
month on how much each transporter received.  If any transporter 
gets "out of balance," a corrective balance will be instituted 
immediately.  The system will be put in place with the first 
report issued at the end of November 2009).  In early 2010, WFP 
plans to revise its transportation manual to strengthen it. 
 
UN ROME 00000077  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
F) Information-sharing:  The CO will be more proactive in 
keeping UN partners informed, actively engage with donors and 
enhance its relationship with the TFG. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Recent Declarations by Al-Shabaab and Other Groups 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) DED Abdulla showed three maps of areas controlled by 
Al-Shabaab (electronic copies can be obtained by contacting 
USUN-Rome's Harriet Spanos at SpanosH@state.gov).  Uncertain as 
to how its operations will be impacted by recent declarations by 
Al-Shabaab or other related groups (for example, one based in 
Kismayo with believed ties to Afghanistan has asked WFP to empty 
out its warehouses by January 1, 2010), WFP is in the process of 
developing contingency plans.  If restrictions worsen, WFP plans 
to cease all procurement exercises and operations in Lower Juba 
and Shabelle, which could result in IDP movements across to 
Dadaab Camp in Kenya.  Despite a longer and costlier transit as 
well as a higher risk of piracy, WFP is also looking to ramp up 
plans to transport commodities through Bossaso Port in lieu of 
Mogadishu if WFP is no longer able to operate in 
Al-Shabaab-controlled territories.  Reduced access of WFP to 
these areas would result in a halving of WFP's 3.4 million 
beneficiary caseload.  DED Abdulla assured that WFP would fully 
consult with all stakeholders (UN/international humanitarian 
community, donors, and neighboring governments) prior to 
embarking on any operational changes.  WFP/HQ awaits further 
analysis from the CO and Nairobi-based partners that is expected 
to take place December 6-7. 
GLOVER