The US ambassador to Mozambique, Peter Vrooman, has warned that American aid programs in the country will be subject to "great vulnerability" to fraud and abuse if American workers from the Agency for International Development (USAID) are withdrawn from the country as scheduled.

According to the newspaper New York TimesIn a statement quoted by VOA, the US ambassador to Mozambique sent an urgent message to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning that the departure of the agency's employees will leave 114 aid programs and 225 lower-level workers, probably Mozambican citizens, in uncertainty, who "will all require administration and supervision".

Peter Vrooman also said that the withdrawal of US officials "will make it impossible for the US government to properly administer 1.5 billion dollars in aid programs, many of which are life-saving humanitarian aid".

O New York Times pointed out that the message "draws a picture of chaos about to befall the United States diplomatic mission and vulnerable citizens due to the imminent departure of experienced aid workers, many of whom are Foreign Service officers with many years or decades of service".

"As a result we are unable to ensure sufficient protections, procedures and administration to prevent fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement," Vrooman added in the message sent to Rubio.

According to the same publication, other American diplomats across Africa are sending similar messages to Rubio "in a rare effort of coordination" between diplomats.

The message follows the Trump Administration's decision to suspend USAID's work by placing all its workers around the world on administrative leave and that all USAID employees abroad must return to the country within 30 days.

These orders were temporarily suspended by a judge after agency workers asked the court for an emergency measure claiming that the government's decision is unconstitutional and will cause a "global humanitarian crisis".

The judge's temporary order is valid until February 14, until which time the parties will be heard for a final decision.

Also in the letter, the US diplomat in Maputo asked Rubio to allow five agency employees to be exempted from mandatory departure "to complete property and administration checks and terminate operations, if so decided, in order to protect the interests of the United States and minimize legal liabilities".

Peter Vrooman, according to New York TimesHe also asked for an exemption for eight officials linked to aid programs in the health sector so that vital humanitarian aid can continue to operate.

USAID supports 40 humanitarian programs active on the ground and in Mozambique more than two million people depend on the supply of antiretroviral drugs to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS and strains of tuberculosis.

Vrooman stressed to the Secretary of State that a USAID program that requires the presence in Mozambique of an experienced administrator provides essential treatment to 389,000 people living with HIV.

The ambassador also said that American USAID employees with school-age children should be able to stay in the country until mid-June when the school year ends.

(Photo DR)