Relations between Somalia and the United States hit rock bottom after Washington said it would pause aid benefiting the government in Mogadishu amid a dispute over the demolition of a World Food Program warehouse.
The U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance said in a post on X on Wednesday that Somali government officials had destroyed a U.S.-funded WFP warehouse and illegally confiscated donor-funded food aid for vulnerable Somalis.
As a result, he said, Washington was suspending aid to Somalia. The value of the assistance was not immediately known.
A WFP spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the program had recovered 75 metric tons of nutritional products. A day earlier, another WFP spokesperson had reported that the warehouse containing the same amount of aid had been demolished by port authorities.
A U.S. official said Washington was “pleased to hear reports that certain products have been recovered,” adding that the administration continues to investigate the diversion and misuse of aid in Somalia.
“We have urged the Federal Government of Somalia to promptly fulfill its commitment to provide accountability for the incident,” the official said.
Eviction notice
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry had earlier on Thursday disputed the claim that aid provided by the United States had been stolen, and said it remained in WFP custody.
He said expansion and reallocation work was being carried out in the Mogadishu Port area, where the warehouse that originally contained the aid – known as the blue warehouse – was located. These works “have not affected the custody, management or distribution of humanitarian assistance,” he added.
The WFP spokesperson said Wednesday that the agency was working with authorities to address the issue and ensure the safe storage of food following the demolition of the warehouse.
“The warehouse contained 75 metric tons of specialized and nutritious food intended for the treatment of pregnant and lactating women, malnourished girls and young children. The warehouse is crucial to WFP’s emergency operations at a time when almost a quarter of the population (4.4 million people) faces crisis levels of hunger or worse,” the spokesperson said.
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A shipment delivery note from the Mogadishu Port Authority, seen by Reuters and dated Wednesday, indicates that WFP took over the food that had been “previously moved from the blue warehouse” to another warehouse.
The note appears to be signed by a WFP official in Somalia and includes a handwritten comment indicating that WFP will confirm final receipt of the food once laboratory analysis confirms it is fit for human consumption.
According to a letter to WFP’s country director, seen by Reuters, Somalia’s Ministry of Ports and Shipping in November provided official notice that the program had to vacate the blue warehouse by December 31 as a result of plans to relocate port offices.
Tension in Minnesota
During Trump’s second term, the Republican president has pursued an aggressive immigration policy that has represented an obstacle to relations between Washington and Mogadishu. The Trump administration has banned Somali citizens from entering the United States and last month said it was auditing immigration cases involving U.S. citizens of Somali origin to detect fraud.
He has also leveled fraud allegations against some nonprofit groups in Minnesota’s Somali community, with at least 56 people found guilty since federal prosecutors under Joe Biden’s former Democratic administration began investigating child care programs and other social services in the Somali community.
The State Department said Wednesday that any resumption of assistance would depend on Somalia’s government taking responsibility and taking corrective action.
Since returning to power last year, the Trump administration has cut US aid spending more broadly, shifting the US priority in Africa from aid to trade.
On Thursday, the US embassy in South Sudan said it was suspending assistance in one area of South Sudan and considering significant reductions in another area after what it described as interference by South Sudanese officials and the exploitation and theft of US aid.
With information from Reuters
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