UAE aid ship arrives in Somalia to deliver food and relief supplies

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: A UAE aid ship arrived in Somalia’s Mogadishu port on Thursday to deliver 1,000 tonnes of food and supplies for around 2.5 million people affected by drought.

The provision came following a directive by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who directed that 35 million dirhams worth of urgent humanitarian aid be sent to families and those displaced by the drought in Somalia

A two-year dry spell that has not been experienced by Somalia in more than 40 years has resulted in the displacement of up to one million people as the drought killed livestock and destroyed crops.

According to the UNHCR, the number of Somalis experiencing crisis hunger is expected to increase from 5 million to more than 7 million in the upcoming months.

UAE pointed out that the aid underscores the Arab country’s commitment to assisting friendly nations and its efforts to strengthen its bilateral relations with Somalia.