Before sending troops to Somalia, the United States announced that it was trying to stop rampant theft of food shipments by sending the Somalis food they don't like. Andrew Natsios, assistant administrator of the Agency for International Development, explained that corn and sorghum being sent are ideal for free food distribution because they are nutritious enough to alleviate hunger but not popular enough to command high black market prices.

Previously, Somali farmers complained at a United Nations conference that the massive U.N. food shipments were driving them out of business. Said one Somali farmer, "The poor farmer ... cannot [make the sales] to cover his costs. This will kill him."

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