The United States has suspended all assistance to the Somali government, accusing officials of destroying a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and unlawfully seizing donor-funded food aid intended for vulnerable populations.
In a statement posted on X, the US State Department said the decision followed reports that Somali officials had illegally taken 76 tonnes of food aid earmarked for at-risk communities. The message, shared via the account of the under secretary for foreign assistance, said the Trump administration maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward the waste, theft, or diversion of humanitarian assistance.
“Reports indicate the destruction of a WFP warehouse and the seizure of donor-funded food aid intended for vulnerable Somalis,” the statement said, adding that any resumption of US assistance would depend on the Somali government taking responsibility for what Washington described as “unacceptable actions” and implementing appropriate remedial measures.
Despite withdrawing from several UN bodies under President Donald Trump, the United States remains the single largest contributor to the World Food Programme. In 2025, Washington provided approximately Ksh258 billion ($2 billion), accounting for nearly a third of the agency’s total funding.
The Somali government, which continues to battle al-Qaeda-linked militants while attempting to stabilise the country after decades of conflict and recurrent drought, has not yet issued a formal response to the allegations.
The aid suspension marks a further deterioration in relations between Washington and Mogadishu. In November, President Trump drew criticism after making disparaging remarks about Somali migrants in the United States, urging them to “go back to where they came from.” His administration has since overseen immigration raids in several communities, citing alleged large-scale benefits fraud in Minnesota, home to the largest Somali diaspora in the US.
Tensions have also been heightened by the recent decision by Israel, a close US ally, to recognise Somaliland as an independent state a move Somalia strongly opposes, viewing the breakaway region as part of its sovereign territory.
According to the WFP, the seized food aid was intended to support communities grappling with drought, flooding, conflict, rising food prices, and poor harvests. The agency estimates that 4.6 million people in Somalia are currently facing crisis levels of hunger, underscoring the potential humanitarian impact of the funding suspension.
