Saturday November 23, 2019
ROME( HOL) - The Italian government has dispatched 22 tones of humanitarian aid to support the floods relief efforts in Beletweyne in Hiiraan region.
The Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement Saturday the aid was in response to the floods which has so far displaced over 300,000 people.
According to the statement, the humanitarian flight from the Italian Cooperation Service took off for Mogadishu Friday carrying relief supplies.
The supplies include tents, hygiene kits, blankets, power generators and medical kits against cholera.
The shipment is aimed to support the assistance activities provided by the World Food Program (WFP) to the population affected, the Italian government said.
Somali government and the UN Saturday sent out a $72.5 million appeal ‘to implement life-saving activities from November 2019 to January 2020.’
According to a joint statement, up to half a million people have been affected by the floods with 370,000 displaced from their homes.
Many of these people were still recovering from the 2016/17 drought. Since 21 October, the flooding has destroyed farmland and infrastructure and devastated livelihoods in some of the worst hit areas.
At least 17 people have died, including two children. Livestock losses have also been reported, the statement read in part.