Monday June 15, 2020
Colonel Ismail Sendagire, the Uganda AMISOM Sector 1 Air Defence Commander at the handover of Covid-19 relief items to a local Somali community in Wadajir district near the AMISOM base-camp in Mogadishu on 12 June 2020. The items were donated by the Italian Government in conjunction with CARITAS, to help local communities deal with challenges posed by the pandemic. AMISOM Photo/Steven Candia
Mogadishu – As part of efforts to support communities in its Areas of Responsibility, AoR, in the fight against COVID-19, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), on Friday presented a range of personal protection and hygiene supplies to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and vulnerable civilians in the Banadir region.
The items distributed by AMISOM were donated by the Italian National Support Element’s Civil-Military Cooperation Cell (CIMIC) through funds provided by Italian NGO, CARITAS, which is based in Djibouti with operations in Somalia and other East African countries. They included face masks, gloves, washing soap and hand sanitizers, infrared thermometers, and water storage jerry cans to be converted to handwashing stations.
Presenting the items, the AMISOM Sector One CIMIC Officer, Major Nicholas Abiribale, thanked the Italian Government, the Italian CIMIC Cell, and CARITAS Somalia for their ongoing support to CIMIC activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These items are specifically for the IDPs, and vulnerable civilians living in the surrounding areas of AMISOM in the Banadir and Lower Shabelle. It will make a huge difference to their health and safety especially in these difficult times of Coronavirus,” Maj. Abiribale said.
Receiving the items, a Community leader, Sheikh Abdi, thanked both the Italian Government and AMISOM for the donation. He was grateful for the support which would contribute towards protecting them from pandemic.