WASHINGTON, Jan 8: The United States suspended all assistance to the government of Somalia, alleging that officials destroyed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse filled with food aid it funded.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the administration of US President Donald Trump alleged that Somali officials had seized 76 metric tonnes of donor-funded food aid that had been intended for Somalis in need.
“The State Department has paused all ongoing US assistance programs which benefit the Somali Federal Government,” the department said in a statement on X.
“The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance and has paused all U.S. assistance programs benefiting the Somali Federal Government,” the department said in a statement.
“Any resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government, taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps,” it said.
Warehouse in Mogadishu port has been demolished by port authorities, said a WFP spokesperson, cited by Washington Examiner. The warehouse contained specialized nutritious foods intended for the treatment of malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women, girls and children, the spokesperson said.
“The warehouse is crucial for WFP’s emergency operations at a moment when almost a quarter of the population (4.4 million people) are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse in Somalia,” the WFP spokesperson said, adding that the agency is actively engaging with authorities and partners to address this issue.
Trump personally levelled racist attacks against the Somali community in the US, saying they are “destroying America”. He also attacked Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Somalia who arrived in the US as a child refugee.
(UNI)
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