aid

U.S. suspends assistance to Somali government, alleging destruction of WFP warehouse and seizure of 76 metric tons of food aid WASHINGTON — The United States has suspended all assistance to Somalia’s federal government, alleging Somali officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and illegally seized 76 metric tons of food aid meant for vulnerable people, according to a State Department announcement Wednesday. The State Department cited the destruction of a WFP warehouse and seizure of aid as the…

U.S. suspends all aid programs to Somalia over corruption, theft of food relief MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United States has suspended all ongoing aid programs benefiting the Somali people, citing systemic corruption and “unacceptable behavior” by Federal Government officials, including interference with international relief operations, U.S. officials said. The decision follows specific allegations that Somali authorities destroyed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse funded by the U.S. and illegally seized 76 tons of food…

Israel threatens to bar 37 aid groups from Gaza and West Bank over staff data dispute Israel has threatened to bar 37 international aid organizations from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as early as tomorrow, saying they failed to submit personal details of staff under new registration rules. The move could force medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières to halt operations in Gaza, where it says deregistration would sever life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of people amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.…

In a quiet housing estate in Navan, Co Meath, a Palestinian orthopedic surgeon scrolls through family photos that have become a catalogue of loss. Dr. Mahmoud Abumarzouq’s younger brother, four nieces and nephews, and countless friends are gone — killed in Gaza since the war erupted after the Oct. 7 attacks — and he is pleading for the world to deliver more aid to those who remain. “This genocide, or you call war or ethnic cleansing — bombardment, all day and night,” he said, searching for the words to contain his grief. “My…

Swedish aid to Somalia faces scrutiny: What the Ekot investigation reveals—and what we still don’t know Swedish public radio’s flagship news division, Ekot, has ignited a debate over how Swedish government funds were used in Somalia following cooperation arrangements between the two countries, raising sensitive questions about governance, transparency and the line between development aid and migration policy. The Office of the Somali Prime Minister has forcefully denied any impropriety and says Swedish support is implemented…

‘Ground zero’ for aid cuts: Rohingya children in Cox’s Bazar face hunger, lost schooling as funding collapses At a nutrition center in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, a seven-month-old girl named Ahshiya clings to life. She weighs just 4.7 kilograms—little more than an average one-month-old. Her mother, 21-year-old Sajida Begum, fled Myanmar after soldiers attacked her village and burned their home. Now, inside the world’s largest refugee camp, she is battling HIV, diabetes and dengue fever while trying to keep her daughter fed.…

Somalia faces budget pressure as Turkish support stalls Delay of $30 million in Turkish budget support adds strain as Mogadishu readies a spending plan of more than $1 billion. MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has confirmed a delay in budgetary support it typically receives from Turkey, with Finance Minister Bihi Iman Igeh saying the funds have not arrived this year as the calendar nears its end. “In previous years, Turkey consistently provided budget support,” Igeh told reporters. “This year’s support,…

Mogadishu (AX) — Sweden will continue deporting Somali nationals whose asylum claims have been rejected, Migration Minister Johan Forssell said, defending a bilateral return agreement that has come under intensifying political and public scrutiny over funding channels and oversight. Forssell said the cooperation with Somalia has delivered “clear results” and forms part of a broader effort to enforce asylum decisions. He added that Sweden intends to expand similar arrangements with additional countries, signaling a tougher…

The European Union has announced €250,000 (about Sh40 million) in humanitarian aid to help Kenyan communities facing a worsening convergence of drought, floods, food insecurity and disease outbreaks. The funding will be routed through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to support operations by the Kenya Red Cross Society. In a statement issued Tuesday, the EU said the allocation responds to Kenya’s “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation,…

Trump unveils $12 billion farm aid as he threatens new Mexico tariffs, presses China on soybeans WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday announced a $12 billion aid package for U.S. farmers hammered by low prices and trade disputes, pairing fresh relief with a new tariff threat against Mexico and fresh pressure on China to accelerate soybean purchases. The White House said $11 billion will flow as one-time direct payments to row-crop producers through the Agriculture Department’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program.…