Somalia says seized food aid returned to WFP after fallout with the US

Somalia’s government said food aid removed from a warehouse during port expansion activities in the capital, Mogadishu, has been returned to the World Food Programme (WFP), following reports that local officials had seized donor-funded food aid.

“The commodities removed from the warehouse have been fully returned to the World Food Programme,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that the government “takes full responsibility for this unfortunate situation and regrets that it occurred.”

The US had earlier this month suspended all assistance to the government of Somalia, alleging that Somali officials "destroyed a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and illegally seized 76 metric tons of donor-funded food aid for vulnerable Somalis."

US officials added that any future aid would be "dependent on the Somali Federal Government taking accountability" and remediating the matter.

Larger warehouse

On Monday, the Somali government said it has provided WFP with a larger and more suitable warehouse within the Mogadishu port area to improve storage capacity and distribution efficiency.

This was meant “to ensure the continued, secure and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the government said.

Somalia's foreign ministry had initially said the warehouse located within the Mogadishu port area was unaffected by ongoing port expansion activities. It said the food aid remained under the custody of the World Food Programme.

In recent months, a growing rift between Somalia and the US saw Washington lash out at Somalis in the US, targeting them in immigration raids in Minnesota and alleging large-scale public benefit fraud in the midwestern state's Somali community, the largest in the country with around 80,000 members.

In November, US President Donald Trump ended temporary protected status for Somali immigrants, accusing them of gang violence, adding "send them back to where they came from."