U.S. Suspends Aid to Somalia After Alleged Seizure of Food Assistance
The United States has paused all assistance programs that benefit Somalia’s federal government after allegations that Somali officials destroyed a World Food Programme warehouse and seized food aid intended for civilians, the State Department said Wednesday.
In a statement, the department said the pause followed reports of “unacceptable actions” involving a U.S.-funded WFP facility. Officials said the alleged incident included the destruction of the warehouse and the seizure of about 76 metric tons of donor-funded food aid meant for vulnerable Somalis.
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“The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance,” the State Department said, adding that all ongoing U.S. assistance programs benefiting the Somali Federal Government have been halted.
The department said any resumption of assistance would depend on Somali authorities taking responsibility for the alleged actions and implementing corrective measures. It did not specify when the incident occurred or identify the officials involved. The allegations have not been independently verified.
A WFP spokesperson said the warehouse was critical to emergency operations at a time when nearly a quarter of Somalia’s population — about 4.4 million people — faces crisis levels of hunger or worse. The spokesperson said WFP is engaging with authorities to ensure the safe storage of food commodities and remains committed to delivering assistance to vulnerable communities.
It was not immediately clear how much U.S. assistance would be affected or how long the pause would last. The State Department did not respond to requests for additional details.
The decision comes amid broader reductions in U.S. foreign aid under President Donald Trump and heightened scrutiny of aid oversight. The administration has also intensified criticism of Somali immigrants in the United States, including following widely publicized fraud allegations involving child-care programs in Minnesota.
During the final year of former President Joe Biden’s administration, the United States provided about $770 million in assistance for projects in Somalia, though only a small portion of that funding went directly to the Somali government, according to U.S. officials.
