-Caveat Lector-
>From www.independent.co.uk
War in The Balkans - The poor robbed by the destitute
Corruption is nothing new in Albania, where aid routinely goes missing
By Kim Sengupta in Durres, Albania
An official from one of the Islamic charities was walking through a Tirana market when
he noticed sacks of flour neatly piled up in front of a shop. "That's funny," he told
his companion. "We unloaded those last week. The
y were meant to go up to the refugee camp at Kukes."
That experience, say international charity workers, is becoming common as aid pours
into Albania for exiles from Kosovo. Around 15 per cent of it is said to disappear
after arriving in the country to reappear in local sho
ps and distribution networks.
It is, perhaps, not surprising that in the poorest country in Europe, facing an influx
of almost 435,000 refugees from Kosovo, there is will be maladministration and
pilfering of aid. But what has struck diplomats, volunt
ary workers and Nato officials is the quickness and efficiency with which the black
market system has become organised.
The items stolen are often the best clothes, the best food and medicine. In some
areas, supplies have been simply hijacked by local criminals at the border posts near
Kukes. Local Albanians, themselves impoverished, seize
d blankets, tarpaulins and food given to the Kosovars by aid workers as they came
across the frontier. There were also accusations that some local authorities had
stolen aid material, and their officials have sold them to
shopkeepers.
After growing disquiet over such incidents, the country's Prime Minister, Majko
Pandeli, at first blamed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for
"mishandling" the situation. Following protests from diplomats
and aid agencies he changed track and called on the President to sack the law and
order Minister Petro Koci.
There is nothing to stop individual refugees from selling food or clothing given to
them. The agencies see this as a form of aid, as it generates income. But there has
also been well-organised thefts from warehouses and o
ther storage facilities.
There were complaints that dockers at the port of Durres refused to unload aid unless
given a special "bonus". Lorry drivers with donations from the West claim they had to
pay bribes to guards in order to expedite authori
sation papers to make their deliveries.
This is not particularly surprising to government officials, who privately admit that
corruption is a deep-seated problem. According to research recently released by the
Albanian State Control Commission, one third of the
country's administration was corrupt. The findings resulted from the examination of
financial activities of 22 state ministers, customs and tax officers, banks, courts,
and municipalities.
Some aid workers and diplomats feel that, under the circumstances, a loss of 15 per
cent of supplies is not that bad, and is indeed better than in a few other war zones.
They also point out the widespread poverty which le
ads to the criminality.
The security situation has also improved since Nato forces under the British
Lieutenant General John Reith became involved in the humanitarian mission Operation
Allied Harbour. Although the general insists that their role
is purely to assist the aid organisations, the presence of armed troops has
undoubtedly been a deterrent to would-be thieves.
Perhaps there should be little surprise to see people in this post-
Stalinist backwater try to profit from its limited time in the
spotlight. But among the exploited are also Kosovan refugees who have
left the overcrowded camps to find their own accommodation in cities
such as Tirana. There they are being charged up to US$500 (£320) a
month for a two-bedroomed flat.
"They stole from us at the border and they're stealing from us now,"
said Murad Quokaj, who has rented a one-bedroomed flat for his family
at $300 a month. "It's very sad that when you've lost your home and
country, people take advantage of you."
<<Just like what they did to the Cherokees, et al, after they were
"relocated" 150 years ago. Either someone would eventually catch on
to the game or just admit it is part of the game (meaning all aid
transfers have to be inflated by 15% or more). A<>E<>R >>
A<>E<>R
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