The United States has paused assistance that benefits Somalia’s federal government after the State Department alleged Somali officials destroyed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse funded by the US and seized 76 metric tons of food aid. Somalia’s government has denied seizing the supplies and said the aid remains under WFP control as the issue is reviewed.
In a statement, the State Department said it has “paused all ongoing U.S. assistance programs which benefit the Somali Federal Government,” linking any possible resumption to Somalia taking accountability and making “appropriate remedial steps.” The department said the pause follows allegations that Somali officials destroyed an American-funded WFP warehouse and took food meant for impoverished or vulnerable civilians.
What the US is alleging
The State Department said the pause is tied to allegations that Somali officials destroyed a WFP warehouse funded by the United States and seized 76 metric tons of food aid. The department said the food was intended for civilians in need.
The State Department statement said the Trump administration has a “zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance.” It also said assistance could be restored depending on how Somalia’s federal government responds, including taking accountability and carrying out remedial steps.
A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the department is conducting an “individualized review” to determine which programs directly or indirectly benefit Somalia’s federal government and whether to pause, redirect, or end them. That official also described Somalia as “a black hole of poorly overseen U.S. assistance” and said the administration is moving to end programs seen as prone to fraud.
Somalia rejects the claim
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the supplies mentioned in the reports remain under WFP control, including aid provided by the United States. The ministry statement also said the WFP warehouse is located in the Mogadishu Port area and that port expansion and redevelopment have not affected the custody, management, or distribution of humanitarian aid.
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said the government is reviewing the issue through a technical inter-agency committee in coordination with humanitarian partners after concerns were raised about port expansion activities. The ministry’s statement framed the review as a response to concerns linked to activities at the port rather than a disruption of aid distribution.
Where the dispute centers
A senior State Department official said authorities at Mogadishu Port demolished the WFP warehouse at the direction of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and that it happened without prior notification or coordination with international donor countries, including the United States. That account was attributed to the anonymous official, who spoke about private reporting from American diplomats in the region.
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry, in contrast, said redevelopment in the port area has not affected WFP’s control or distribution of aid and denied the allegation that local officials seized food relief. The competing accounts leave the core issue—what happened to the warehouse and the food—squarely disputed between Washington and Somalia’s government.
Aid levels and wider context
It was not immediately clear how much assistance would be affected by the pause because the Trump administration has cut foreign aid spending, dismantled the US Agency for International Development, and has not released updated country-by-country data, according to reporting that cited the State Department position. The US provided $770 million in assistance for projects in Somalia during the last year of President Joe Biden’s administration, although only a fraction went directly to the Somali government.
Anadolu Agency reported that Washington contributed more than $2 billion to the WFP last year and noted that the UN agency warned in October about a worsening hunger crisis in Somalia driven in part by funding cuts and rising malnutrition. The AP report described Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, as one of the world’s poorest nations and said it has faced chronic strife and insecurity worsened by repeated natural disasters, including severe droughts, for decades.
The suspension also comes amid heightened political scrutiny of Somali-linked issues in the United States, according to the reports. The AP report said the Trump administration has increased criticism of Somali refugees and migrants and pointed to well-publicized fraud allegations involving child care centers in Minnesota, along with restrictions that make it harder for Somalis to come to the US and for some already in the country to stay. Anadolu also referenced President Donald Trump’s December comments about Somali immigrants in Minnesota and reported that he moved in late November to end temporary legal protections for Somali residents following what it called a major social services fraud case.
