BUENOS AIRES, May 28, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - An Argentine court on Monday ordered
President Javier Milei's government to release tons of food meant for the
poor -- about half the population -- but held in storage pending an audit he
had ordered.

Aid to tens of thousands soup kitchens was frozen after Milei took office in
December vowing to slash public spending and weed out corruption in the
social welfare system.

Earlier this month, dozens of raids were carried out against soup kitchens
and the groups that manage them, amid accusations that the poor were forced
to attend anti-government protests in exchange for food.

The protests were allegedly organized to pressure the government into doling
out more money and food, part of which never found its way to the intended
recipients.

Milei is seeking to eliminate the practice of using NGOs and political
parties as intermediaries to deliver state aid and end what he calls "the
business of poverty."

On Monday, a judge granted a request brought by aid organizations, ordering
the government to provide a detailed breakdown of the food being withheld,
and to proceed with distributing it "immediately."

The judge cited the vast number of Argentines "acutely suffering from food
insecurity." According to official figures, about 50 percent of inhabitants
of the South American country live in poverty.

On Sunday, the Catholic Church in Argentina urged the government to
distribute the stockpiled food -- which it said amounted ro about 5,000 tons.

Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said Monday the government would appeal
the court order. The food, he said, was being stored "for emergencies or
catastrophes."

According to social organizations, there are about 45,000 soup kitchens in
Argentina.

Cabinet chief Nicolas Posse, in a recent presentation to congress, said
preliminary audit results had revealed that almost 50 percent of soup
kitchens that had been receiving aid "do not exist."

Cut off by the government, some continue operating today thanks to private
donations.