Overview
- State Department officials announced the pause on all assistance benefiting the Somali federal government after reports that Somali authorities destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme warehouse and seized 76 metric tons of donor food, with Under Secretary Jeremy Lewin citing a zero-tolerance policy on diversion.
- The World Food Programme said port authorities demolished its Mogadishu port facility, which held roughly 75–76 metric tons of specialized nutrition for malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children.
- WFP said it is working with authorities and partners to secure commodities and continue deliveries, noting that nearly 4.4 million people in Somalia face crisis levels of hunger or worse.
- U.S. officials did not detail the financial scope of the pause, which remains uncertain given reduced foreign aid outlays, the dismantling of USAID, and the lack of updated country-by-country data.
- U.S. funding for Somalia had already declined, with about $1.8 million obligated through the first three quarters of fiscal 2025 compared with $291 million in 2024, while Biden’s final year saw roughly $770 million in Somalia project assistance.