UAE aid shipment delivered to drought-affected people in Somalia

The UAE Embassy in Mogadishu has handed over an aid delivery provided by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to the Somali government.

A total of 193 tonnes of relief supplies were delivered at the Port of Mogadishu in the presence of Saif Ali Al Rashash, Chargé d’Affaires at the UAE Embassy; Mohamed Moalim, Chairman of Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency; and Abdulaziz Othman, Mogadishu Deputy Mayor for Social Affairs, as well as members of Somalia’s National Drought Relief Committee.

The relief supplies will be distributed to vulnerable families and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the capital, Mogadishu, with a focus on IDP camps in surrounding areas.

The delivery is part of efforts by the UAE humanitarian and charitable entities to provide relief to those affected by severe drought in Somalia under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Several ships carrying food items for Somalia have arrived at the ports of Mogadishu and Kismayo (Jubaland region), Bosaso (Puntland region), and Berbera (Somaliland region).

Somali officials who attended the handover ceremony thanked the UAE Government and people for their continued support to the Somali people in coping with drought and water scarcity through the provision of relief.

The UAE has supported Somalia since the beginning of the current humanitarian crisis, which was triggered by drought after a lack of rainfall in the past four years. As the UAE continues to provide assistance to people in affected areas, another Emirates Red Crescent Authority aid ship is expected to arrive with thousands of tonnes of relief supplies.