Somalia Denies Seizing Food Aid After U.S. Suspends Assistance

Somalia, 8 January 2026 - Somalia’s government denied on Thursday that it had illegally seized food aid or mishandled humanitarian assets, after the United States suspended assistance to the country over allegations that a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse had been destroyed.

The Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that food commodities, including U.S.-funded aid, remain under the full "custody and control" of the WFP. It characterized the incident at the Mogadishu Port as a consequence of infrastructure development rather than a seizure of supplies.

The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it had paused all assistance programs benefiting the Somali federal government. Washington alleged that Somali officials destroyed an American-funded warehouse and seized 76 metric tons of food aid intended for vulnerable populations, stating it has a "zero-tolerance policy" for the diversion of life-saving assistance.