US halts aid to Somalia over alleged seizure of food relief

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US has paused all assistance to Somalia’s federal government after alleging that local officials destroyed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and seized 76 metric tons of food intended for vulnerable civilians, the State Department said Wednesday.

“The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance,” the department announced on the US social media company X.

Washington contributed more than $2 billion to the WFP last year, even as the UN agency warned in October of a deepening hunger crisis in Somalia driven partly by funding cuts and rising malnutrition.

The State Department said: “Any resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps,” adding that the scope and duration of the suspension remain unclear, according to The Hill news.

The decision comes amid heightened political scrutiny of Somali-linked issues in the US, including President Donald Trump’s December comments that Somali immigrants were “completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” and his move in late November to end temporary legal protections for Somali residents following a major social services fraud case.