Finland to support shipment of Ukraine grain to Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS|HELSINSKI: Finland will support the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) grain shipments from Ukraine to Somalia, in an effort to enhance aid to the Horn of Africa region plagued by famine, the Finnish Foreign Ministry has announced.

According to a statement from the ministry issued Tuesday, Finland will provide the region with 15.7 million euros in humanitarian aid, of which 7 million euros would be used to assist WFP in transporting Ukrainian grain to Somalia.

The remainder of the humanitarian aid, which is concentrated on ensuring food security and safeguarding the estimated 3.5 million refugees in the region, will be provided by the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR), the Finnish Red Cross, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Horn of Africa is suffering from a record-breaking drought after a fifth consecutive failed rainy season, with 37 million people currently facing starvation.