美國暫停向索馬里軍隊提供援助

The United States is suspending aid for much of Somalia's armed forces over corruption concerns, U.S. officials confirmed to VOA on Thursday.

The suspension reflects the Somali military's repeated inability to account for aid items such as food, fuel and weapons.

A State Department official said the "pause" in aid is being made "to ensure that U.S. assistance is being used effectively and for its intended purpose."

Somali security force members who are actively fighting al-Shabab and receiving some form of mentorship from either the U.S. or a third party will continue to receive appropriate assistance, the official said.

She added that the Somali government has agreed to develop new accountability criteria that meet American standards, in order for other Somali units to receive U.S. assistance in a way that "builds greater transparency."

According to documents obtained by Reuters news agency, the Somali military has been unable to properly feed, pay or equip its soldiers, despite hundreds of millions of dollars of American support.

A U.S. and Somali team sent to assess nine Somali army bases between May and June of this year found that all but two of the bases showed no evidence that food aid had arrived or been consumed by the soldiers, Reuters reported.美國政府官員星期四向美國之音證實，鑑於對腐敗的擔憂，美國暫停向索馬里軍方提供的大多數援助。

暫停援助是由於索馬里軍方一再不能通報食品、燃料和武器等援助物資的下落。

美國國務院一位官員說，暫停援助是爲了確保美國的援助能得到有效使用，並服務於既定目標。

這位官員說，與索馬里青年黨積極作戰並得到美國或第三方提供顧問支持的索馬里保安部隊將繼續得到適當的幫助。

她還說，索馬里政府同意制定符合美國標準的新問責標準，增加透明度，以便其他索馬里機構繼續得到美國幫助。

路透社獲得文件顯示，儘管美國提供數億美元的支持，但是索馬里軍隊始終未能向軍人提供所需的食物、薪金或裝備。

路透社報道，一個美國和索馬里聯合小組今年5月到6月對9個索馬里軍事基地進行了評估，在其中7個基地沒有發現任何跡象能證明食品援助送抵基地或送到軍人手中。