An Argentine court has compelled President Javier Milei's government to release 5,000 tons of food intended for the poor after Milei froze its distribution under the banner of "anti-corruption in the social welfare system." This freeze on aid for tens of thousands of soup kitchens has been in place since Milei took office in December, following his pledge to reduce public spending.
Earlier this May, the government conducted dozens of raids on soup kitchens and the organizations managing them, amid allegations of forcing the poor to participate in anti-government protests in exchange for food. It is claimed that the protests were organized to pressure the government into distributing more aid, part of which did not reach the intended recipients.
In contrast, Milei is aiming to eliminate the involvement of NGOs and political parties as intermediaries for distributing state aid and to end what he describes as the "poverty trade." A judge approved a request from relief organizations on Monday, ordering the government to carry out a detailed inventory of the detained food supplies and proceed with distribution "immediately." The judge noted the vast number of Argentinians "suffering severely from food insecurity." According to official figures, around 50% of the population in the Latin American country lives in poverty.
