africa: The fickle nature of international aid

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) stands accused of subjecting refugees within its African camps to illegal collective punishment by withdrawing food rations for weeks at a time. The organisation is also accused of allowing refugee elites to administer their own forms of 'traditional' justice, which typically see women locked up for adultery and 'criminals' flogged. These allegations and others were made by a distinguished refugee scholar who claims she has witnessed such human rights abuses during her research at several UNHCR refugee camps in Africa.