The UAE is delivering vital food sid to drought-stricken Somalia. Mohammed ABDIWAHAB /AFP/
Drought-hit villagers in Somalia will receive 900 tonnes of food aid as part of an emergency relief mission being spearheaded by the UAE.
Teams from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan Foundation have started the aid effort in Puntland State, in north eastern Somalia, as part of the second phase of an ongoing campaign to support those affected by drought in the region.
The food packages will help recipients to endure the hardships caused by the drought, which has ravaged their land and damaged farms and harmed livestock.
This follows the Foundation’s provision of 824 tonnes of food items to around 30,000 people in the also affected area of Jubaland, as part of the campaign’s first phase.
The initiative has been directed by UAE President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the support of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Chairman of the Khalifa Foundation.
A spokesman from the Foundation said the relief assistance is targeting 20,000 Somali families – around 100,000 people – in Puntland where large quantities of food parcels are being distributed in areas including Cayn and Aluula.
He said that the campaign will see the distribution of a further 20,000 food baskets containing basic food items in other regions including Bari, Karkaar, Nugal, Sanaag, Gardafuul and Sool
