The United States has suspended all assistance to Somalia’s government, accusing officials of destroying a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and illegally taking donor-funded food aid intended for vulnerable families.
In a statement posted on X, the US State Department said the Trump administration has a “zero-tolerance” approach to waste, theft and diversion of humanitarian assistance. The post, shared via the account of the under secretary for foreign assistance, said Washington had received reports that Somali officials seized 76 tonnes of food aid.
The State Department said assistance would only resume if Somalia’s government takes responsibility for what it called “unacceptable actions” and implements corrective measures.
The Somali government has not publicly responded.
The move comes as Somalia faces severe food insecurity. The WFP says the seized aid was meant to help people affected by drought, floods, conflict, high food prices and poor harvests. The agency estimates around 4.6 million people are facing crisis levels of hunger.
Despite President Donald Trump’s earlier decisions to withdraw from several UN bodies, the US remains the WFP’s largest donor. Washington contributed about $2 billion in 2025, roughly a third of the programme’s total funding, according to the report.
The suspension also reflects worsening relations between Washington and Mogadishu. The report notes Trump recently criticised Somali migrants in the US, while immigration raids and fraud allegations in Minnesota—home to the largest Somali community in the country—have heightened tensions.
Relations have been further strained by Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a breakaway region that Somalia considers part of its territory, a step that has angered Mogadishu.