Somalia Destroys 76 Tons of US Food, Leading Marco Rubio to Cut Aid; Foreign Aid Is Not Charity

"The warehouse was partially demolished during the weekend without the knowledge of the WFP team, but there was no looting involved," they said.

The US stated it would only resume assistance if the Somali government took "accountability for its unacceptable actions and... appropriate remedial steps".

Although the US has withdrawn from several UN organizations under President Donald Trump, it remains by far the largest contributor to the WFP, paying $2bn (£1.5bn) in 2025 - almost a third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.

Somalia's government is battling al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants as it tries to rebuild the country after a devastating civil war and years of drought.

This is the latest example of the deteriorating relations between Washington and Mogadishu.

Last month, Trump criticized Somali migrants living in the US, telling reporters they should "go back to where they came from" and "their country is no good for a reason".

Communities have been targeted in immigration raids as the government alleges large-scale benefit fraud in Minnesota, the US state with the largest Somali community in the US.

The recent recognition by US ally Israel of the breakaway republic of Somaliland, which Somalia considers to be part of its territory, has further angered Mogadishu.

The aid that was allegedly seized by Somali officials was meant to help people cope with the effects of "drought, floods, conflict, high food prices and dwindling harvests", according to the WFP.

It quotes figures saying that 4.6 million people in Somalia are facing crisis levels of hunger.