Oxfam sacked three aid workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo yesterday after an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, intimidation, nepotism and fraud in its mission.
The Times understands the charity’s most senior official in the DRC, Corinne N’Daw, the country director, remains suspended while an investigation continues into claims of mismanagement and bullying against her. N'Daw has not responded to requests for comment but is understood to deny the allegations about her conduct.
Another aid worker has been told their contract will not be renewed after allegations were substantiated by an external inquiry.
The Times revealed in April that a group of current and former Oxfam staff in the DRC had written to the charity’s chief executive detailing their grievances and concerns about the conduct of senior aid workers. Oxfam had commissioned an external inquiry last November but the whistleblowers were alarmed it was taking so long while people accused of serious misconduct remained in positions of power.
After this newspaper’s report, Oxfam suspended two senior staff, and Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, withdrew the charity’s right to apply for UK aid funding. It had only recently been restored following a three-year freeze in the aftermath of the Haiti scandal.
The ten-page letter said staff had been raising concerns since 2015 and had made “numerous detailed reports” to national and regional managers, and directly to Oxfam’s safeguarding team.
“Many Oxfam staff have lost faith in Oxfam’s promises of accountability and in the principles Oxfam says it stands for,” the letter stated. “We hope that the DRC does not become another example of Oxfam’s failure to prevent power abuses following the Haiti media exposé in 2018 and Oxfam’s explicit commitment to do better.”
Whistleblowers claimed that they had endured “threats to their lives and their families’ lives” and referred to “threats of poisonings or attempted poisonings”.
Oxfam said allegations of sexual misconduct were upheld against two of its aid workers while three people were found guilty of nepotism. Accusations of bullying and intimidation were upheld against one person and claims of “inappropriate relationships” were substantiated against one person.
Oxfam, which has operated in the DRC since 1961 and has 273 staff there, declined to name the individuals dismissed because it said there were concerns for the safety of survivors and witnesses who had given evidence to the investigation. The sexual misconduct findings will be disclosed to other charities if individuals apply to work for other agencies.
“After being treated by Oxfam as if we were the problem, this news is a relief to us,” said one of the whistleblowers. “We hope Oxfam will learn from this that it is important to act quickly, to listen to whistleblowers and conduct swift investigations. Many people could have been protected from harm if they had acted sooner.”
Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam GB’s chief executive, apologised to “everyone who has been hurt by these abuses of power”. He added: “I hope the action we have taken demonstrates our resolve to tackle all forms of misconduct. Oxfam is committed to doing all we can to prevent abuses of power and to taking action where wrongdoing is found. We strongly encourage anyone who has concerns to report them.”
Oxfam said the Charity Commission and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office were being kept informed about its investigation.
The crisis in the DRC was a severe blow to the charity’s reputation as it was emerging from the shadow of the Haiti scandal. Women and girls in the DRC have reported multiple accounts of sexual misconduct by humanitarian staff to journalists in the past year.
Many of those accused of running a “jobs for sex” racket were working for the World Health Organisation, which deployed major resources to the country to tackle an ebola outbreak. One case disclosed last year was an allegation of rape against an Oxfam worker. He no longer works for Oxfam and the charity has been helping the victim.
