Up to 150,000 people will directly benefit from food aid sent from the UAE to ease suffering caused by floods in Somalia.
The relief package, comprising 700 tonnes of food, demonstrates the Emirates' commitment to standing in solidarity with the Somali people during these difficult circumstances, said Ahmed Juma Al Rumaithi, the UAE's ambassador to Somalia.
“The initiative reflects the close bilateral relations between the UAE and Somalia, underscoring the commitment of the UAE’s wise leadership to provide all kinds of aid and support to the impacted communities,” he was quoted as saying by state news agency Wam.
“The UAE will continue to work alongside local and international entities to ensure that aid reaches as many people in need as possible, which will contribute to alleviating their suffering and accelerate the recovery process.”
Somalia was named as the hungriest country in the world in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, after previously holding this rank in 2021. About 4.4 million people in the country were expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity at the end of 2024.
The UN's World Food Programme warned in 2022 that the disruption of grain supplies due to the Russia-Ukraine war had added to the threat of famine in Somalia. The war between the two leading grain exporters was leading to higher costs due to fewer options for supplies.
This situation was compounded by floods in late 2023. By the end of November 2023, about 100 people had died in the deluge.
Nearly half of the country's districts were affected by flooding, affecting 2.5 million people and submerging more than 1.5 million hectares of farmland, Unicef reported in May last year.