The African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM, has presented food and non-food relief items to the Federal Government of Somalia. The items sourced through the Humanitarian Liaison Unit of AMISOM will support Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), affected by floods in AMISOM’s Areas of Responsibility, AoR.
At a short ceremony at the AMISOM Sector I Headquarters, the Head of AMISOM and SRCC, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, handed over the items to the Somalia Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Khadija Mohamed Diriye.
Ambassador Madeira said food insecurity is likely to worsen across Somalia because of localized floods, below-average rainfall, and worsening desert locust infestation.
“It is in response to this that AMISOM as first respondents has purchased dry food and non-food items for all the sectors under its responsibility for ease and quick distribution to the displaced, vulnerable, and needy population along and throughout the Forward Operating Bases, FOBs,” he revealed.
He said the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, with the rising number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, makes it imperative for all to support to bring some relief to persons in need. He mentioned that according to humanitarian partners, 5.9 million people in Somalia would require humanitarian aid, an increase from the previous 5.2 million people in 2020.
The Somalia Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Khadija Mohamed Diriye, thanked AMISOM for the items and said it would go to people in need and boost the civil-military cooperation with the local communities living in the AMISOM Areas of Responsibility.
“I encourage AMISOM to continue supporting vulnerable communities in your areas of responsibility, and we thank you for working with the Somalia National Army to defeat terrorists, and protect civilians living in the liberated areas,” the Minister said.
The Head of the AMISOM Humanitarian Affairs Unit, Abdul Diabagate, said the items presented included an assortment of food and non-food relief items to support over 42,000 vulnerable persons. They include rice, vegetable oil, sugar, plastic sheets, mosquito nets, and buckets.
“All sectors of AMISOM operations will be presented with this support. Today is the presentation for Sector I, and we will follow up with the other sectors to provide similar support,” said Diabagate.
AMISOM will distribute the relief items in its areas of responsibility in coordination with UN-OCHA as part of the civil-military coordination mechanisms, the Federal Government, the Federal Member States, local authorities, and the local population.
ENDS
