Iran to send more aid convoys to Somalia

Iran is to dispatch its fifth and sixth humanitarian aid convoys to famine-hit Somalia as part of attempts to help the people of the African country suffering from malnutrition in camps.

Head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Abolhassan Faqih told IRIB on Monday that the fifth and sixth humanitarian aid shipments for drought-stricken Somalia are being loaded into cargo planes at Payam Airport, located 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of the Iranian capital Tehran.

He added that the consignment, comprising rice, legumes and milk powder, will be dispatched to the Horn of Africa nation on Monday night.

Faqih pointed out that IRCS plans to dispatch a major humanitarian aid shipment to Somalia by sea next week. The 5,000-ton cargo will include foodstuff and medicine.

He also said efforts are underway to construct a field hospital in Somalia.

Last week, Leader of the Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to rush to the aid of the Muslim people of Somalia.

“These days, the Horn of Africa and particularly the catastrophe-ridden country of Somalia are witnessing one of the most painful human crises in which the lives of millions of Somali women and children are in danger due to drought, famine and the silence of international organizations,” read a statement by the Leader of the Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The United Nations has warned that more than 13 out of every 10,000 children aged less than five die in the Somalia famine zone every day.

“This means that 10 percent of children under five are dying every 11 weeks. These figures are truly heart-wrenching,” UN representative to Somalia Augustine Mahiga said.

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.

According to the United Nations, it is estimated that a quarter of Somalia’s population of 9.9 million are now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees.

The UN has declared famine in five regions in Somalia and said that the international humanitarian response to the crisis has been insufficient.