US suspends assistance to Somalia over alleged seizure of WFP food aid

BBC
BBC
2h ago
The US suspended all assistance to Somalia’s government, alleging Somali officials destroyed a WFP warehouse and illegally seized 76 tonnes of donor-funded food aid intended for vulnerable Somalis.
US suspends assistance to Somalia over alleged seizure of WFP food aid
A What happened
The US suspended all assistance to Somalia’s government, alleging Somali officials destroyed a UN World Food Programme warehouse and seized donor-funded food aid. A US State Department statement said the Trump administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance, and said resuming aid would depend on Somalia taking accountability and remedial steps. The WFP said the aid was meant to help people cope with drought, floods, conflict, high food prices, and dwindling harvests, and cited figures that 4.6 million people in Somalia are facing crisis levels of hunger.

Key insights

  • 1

    US conditions aid resumption on Somali government actions: The US said assistance would resume only if Somalia takes accountability for the alleged seizure and takes appropriate remedial steps.

  • 2

    US remains a major WFP funder: The US paid $2bn to the WFP in 2025, almost a third of the agency’s total funding.

  • 3

    Multiple issues are cited in strained US–Somalia relations: The situation is described alongside Trump’s remarks about Somali migrants, immigration raids tied to alleged benefit fraud in Minnesota, and Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.

Takeaways

US assistance to Somalia’s government remains suspended while the US alleges Somali officials seized WFP food aid and says resumption depends on Somali accountability and remedial steps.

Topics

Health & Medicine Public Health World & Politics International Affairs Diplomacy Migration Development

Read the full article on BBC

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