Trump Administration suspends all assistance to Somalia after alleged theft of humanitarian aid
No details were provided on how long the measure will last.
State Department building.
The State Department announced Wednesday that it suspended all U.S. assistance provided to the Government of Somalia, after citing an alleged incident in which several officials from the African country destroyed a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse and even took 76 metric tons of food aid that was originally intended for vulnerable Somali citizens. "The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance," the department said in a posting through its official X account.
While the department was emphatic in its statement, the fact remains that it does not remain entirely clear exactly how much additional aid could be affected by the suspension. Similarly, no details were provided on how long the measurewill last. "Any resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps," the department added in its statement.
Last year, the administration of President Donald Trumpaported more than $2 billion to the WFP, which is known for being the world's leading humanitarian organization, providing emergency food aid to millions of people affected by different types of crises, such as famine, armed conflicts or natural disasters.
Minnesota corruption scandal
Such decision was communicated by the undersecretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Jim O'Neill, who stated on the social network 'X' that the measure responds to a "blatant fraud that seems to be widespread in Minnesota and across the country". As a result, O'Neill detailed that Washington decided to suspend disbursements until it has complete information on the use of the funds.
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