Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:18PM GMT
The biggest Iranian aid shipment for the drought-stricken people of Somalia has been sent to the horn of Africa nation in a ship named “Friendship.”
The 5,000-ton convoy of rice, vegetable oil, flour, legumes, sugar and medicine was sent by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS). The shipment contains contributions by Iranians which were collected in a nationwide fundraiser on August 22, 2011.
A statement released by the IRCS on Tuesday said the Iranian ship carrying the aid shipment set sail for Mogadishu from Bandar Abbas port.
IRCS has so far sent 15 humanitarian aid convoys to Somalia weighing about 600 tons as part of an initiative to supply Somalis battling with starvation and shortage of food.
The drought and famine have affected more than 11.8 million people across Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Somalia has been the hardest-hit country in what is being described as the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in 60 years. The UN says 3.2 million Somalis are in need of immediate life-saving assistance.
According to UN reports, about 3.7 million people in Somalia are on the brink of starvation and millions more in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have been affected by drought.
SS/HGH
Share this article:
Send to friendPrint this article
No comments:
Post a Comment