Amid
Anti-Corruption
Strike at
Syria
Opposition Aid
Group, UN's
Amos Silent
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 3 --
With dozens of
staff members
of the Syrian
Coalition of
Ahmad al
Jarba's
"Assistance
Coordination
Unit"
on strike to
protest what
they call
corruption in
Suhair
Atassi's
distribution
of opposition
aid, including
takeover by
the ISIS
extremist
group, one
expected the
UN's
humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos to have
some view, or
at least a
talking point.
When
Amos emerged
from the UN
Security
Council on
Tuesday, Inner
City
Press asked
her of UN
communication
with ISIS and
the Al Nusra
Front,
and to comment
on the
anti-corruption
strike by ACU
workers. Video
here, from
Minute 4:39.
Amos
replied, "I
don't know the
details of any
problems that
the
workers
themselves
have with the
ACU, we
continue to be
in touch with
the ACU."
How
could the UN
Office for the
Coordination
of
Humanitarian
Affairs have
nothing to say
on this?
Multiple media
accounts report
not only on
the strike,
but on nepotism
and the
takeover of
OCA bakeries
and
mills by ISIS.
Similarly,
when
even the EU
responded to
questions
about ISIS
threats to
humanitarian
workers in
Jarabulus
posed by the Free UN Coalition for
Access, Amos
and OCHA
insisted they
knew nothing
about these
threats.
On
Tuesday, to
Inner City
Press'
question about
OCHA contacts
with Al
Nusra and
ISIS, Amos
responded,
"When you
asked me
previously
about our
specific
contacts with
specific
groups, as I
said then and
say to you
now, we are
negotiating
for access on
a localized
basis,
that's why
these hubs are
so important
and that will
remain the
position."
It
might be one
thing for OCHA
to remain mum
on contacts
with groups on
terrorism
lists, as it
did in
connection
with natural
disasters in
Pakistan. But
when there are
multiple
allegations of
corruption,
including by
whistleblower
employees,
with respect
to an aid
operation like
ACU, then OCHA
should have
something to
say. Watch
this site.
, 
