The United States on Wednesday paused all ongoing assistance programs that benefit the Somali Federal Government, citing serious concerns over the alleged diversion of humanitarian aid.
Washington said the decision follows reports that Somali government officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and illegally seized donor-funded food aid.
In a statement, the State Department said any resumption of assistance would depend on the Somali Federal Government taking full accountability for what it described as “unacceptable actions” and implementing appropriate remedial measures.
The statement, issued by the Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, said the United States was deeply concerned by reports that officials unlawfully seized 76 metric tons of food aid intended for vulnerable populations.
“These actions undermine the integrity of humanitarian assistance and directly harm the people such aid is meant to support,” the statement noted.
The U.S. State Department warned that misuse of donor resources would not be tolerated.
“The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance,” it added.
The paused programs include U.S.-funded initiatives implemented through the Somali Federal Government. However, the State Department noted that humanitarian assistance delivered directly through trusted international and non-governmental partners may continue to ensure vulnerable Somalis are not left without critical support.
Somalia remains heavily dependent on international aid to address chronic food insecurity, conflict-related displacement, and climate-related shocks.
The alleged seizure of food aid comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions, with millions of Somalis facing acute hunger.
According to a recent analysis by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), up to 25 million people across Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya are currently in need of humanitarian food assistance.
The region is experiencing one of the driest short rainy seasons on record, driven by La Niña conditions and an unusually strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole.
The unfolding drought comes less than three years after the devastating 2020–2023 drought and is already severely undermining crop production, livestock health, and household incomes across pastoral and agropastoral areas.
FEWS NET estimates that drought is the primary driver of more than half of current humanitarian needs and warned that without a scale-up of food, water, and nutrition assistance, Crisis-level hunger (IPC Phase 3) and worse outcomes are likely to expand through May 2026.
