NEW YORK — Recent reports indicate a massive diversion of funds from international donors providing aid to Bosnia. According to officials from the antifraud unit set up by the Office of the High Rep- resentative, the international agency responsible for carrying out the civilian aspects of the Dayton peace accord, hundreds of thousands of dollars have disappeared from public funds or have been stolen from international aid projects directed to Bosnia. Those responsible are reportedly the Muslim, Croatian and Serbian leaders who keep Bosnia partitioned into three ethnic enclaves.
At the same time, in the Central American nation of El Salvador, a fiscal court is investigating the diversion of funds intended for victims of Hurricane Mitch but which were reportedly used for political purposes.
These cases add to existing evidence that unless there is a serious rethinking of how international aid is implemented, funds may continue to be diverted for spurious purposes to the detriment of those they are truly meant to help.