The US has suspended all assistance to the government of Somalia, alleging that officials destroyed a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and seized donor-funded food aid.
The Trump administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance, said a US state department statement on X.
The message, posted on the account of the under secretary for foreign assistance, stated that reports had been received about officials illegally seizing 76 tonnes of food intended for vulnerable Somalis.
Any resumption of assistance would depend on the Somali government taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps, it said.
Although the US has withdrawn from several UN organizations under President Donald Trump, it remains by far the largest contributor to the WFP, paying $2bn (£1.5bn) in 2025 - almost a third of its total funding.
The Somali government, which has long been battling al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants as it tries to rebuild the country after a devastating civil war and years of drought, has yet to comment.
This recent action highlights the deteriorating relations between Washington and Mogadishu. Last month, Trump criticized Somali migrants living in the US, suggesting they should go back to where they came from and denigrating Somalia itself.
Communities have been targeted in immigration raids amid allegations of large-scale benefit fraud, particularly in Minnesota, the state with the largest Somali population.
The recognition by US ally Israel of the breakaway republic of Somaliland, which Somalia considers part of its territory, has further aggravated tensions.
The aid allegedly seized was meant to help cope with the effects of drought, floods, conflict, high food prices, and dwindling harvests, according to the WFP, which estimates that 4.6 million people in Somalia are facing crisis levels of hunger.
