Hiiraan Online
Sunday, May 29, 2016
MOGADISHU (HOL) – A Turkish ship carrying badly needed aid for drought-affected Somali civilians arrived in Somalia’s capital, amid calls by aid agencies to scale up humanitarian assistance to drought-hit regions in Somalia where thousands of people including children are at risk of malnutrition.
The Turkish government spent more than $500 million in humanitarian and development aid to Somalia since 2011, making it the largest recipient of Turkish aid in Africa
According to Somali officials, the cargo vessel carrying 11,000 metric tons of food, clothing and blankets docked at the Mogadishu port late on Sunday, with the Turkish government said it would hand over the aid to the Somali government to deliver it to the drought victims across Somalia.
Turkey is a major ally for Somalia as it became the first foreign administrations to resume formal diplomatic relations with Somalia after the civil war.
The Turkish government also continues to undertake major projects in Somalia in a bid to jump-start the Somali economy shattered by the decades old conflict.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said that the drought which largely hit Puntland and Somaliland compounded an already challenging humanitarian situation, affecting an estimated number of 385,000 people who face acute food insecurity, warning that a further 1.3 million people were at risk of slipping into acute food insecurity if they do not an urgent receive assistance.