ReliefWeb

Mogadishu, 10 October 2017 - The African Union Mission in Somalia, (AMISOM) has today handed over an assortment of food items worth $100,000 to the Somali government to aid victims affected by drought.

The 67 metric tonnes comprising rice, sugar, beans and vegetable oil was officially handed over to the Federal government officials by the head of the Mission, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

During his visit to Somalia last March, Mr. Mahamat pledged humanitarian aid to drought victims, after an international appeal for emergency assistance by the Federal Government of Somalia. The appeal saw an unprecedented response by the Somali people and the international community, raising a total of $1.1 billion dollars, which helped avert famine.

Speaking during the ceremony held in Mogadishu, Ambassador Madeira noted that the situation in Somalia still remains fragile due to poor rainfall and frequent disease outbreak.

“Whereas this condition [drought] has had some slight differences, the humanitarian plight in Somalia still requires continued and stepped up support. During the Commission Chairperson’s announcement of donation 100,000 US dollars by the AU (African Union) to assist the victims of the drought, he expressed his wish that others should emulate the gesture and this is a demonstration of the seriousness with which the AU views the humanitarian challenge in Somalia,” Ambassador Madeira stated.

The SRCC further reiterated the commitment of AMISOM to continue supporting the Somali government and the humanitarian agencies to access and support populations in need of assistance.

“AMISOM will work closely with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and local community leaders to ensure that food supplies are distributed and reach the people in need of assistance,” Ambassador Madeira noted.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Moalim Mohamed, who received the donation on behalf of the Federal Government, thanked the African Union Commission Chairperson, the Somalia people and international partners for coming to the aid of Somalia.

“Somali people together with our partners this time round have been more prepared and coordinated well. Somalis in every part of the world were very much involved in raising funds to help their brothers and sisters. The international community has also done a tremendous job of providing much needed emergency supplies to the people of Somalia. Therefore, we managed to avert what could have been a catastrophic famine and loss of life,” Mr. Moalim stated.

He added that the government is working on mechanisms to reduce the impact of the recurrent drought by finding long term solutions to enable Somalia to be more productive.

The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, commended the African Union for the timely donation. He also applauded the Somali government and its people, for taking lead in drought response and aiding those in need.

“We are extremely proud of the African Union not just for the donation and for showing that the continent is very much involved in its own issues but also for the role it has played in terms of access and security in this country, which made the drought relief operation a success,” he noted.