The government of Uganda has made a food donation to flood stricken parts of Somalia as part of the humanitarian response that is being undertaken to support thousands of displaced people.
Heavy rainfall that began last month has caused widespread flooding and damage in central, south and north Somalia including communities living along the Shabelle and Juba rivers.
World Food Program reports nearly 300,000 of the 700,000 people affected by the floods are homeless. WFP spokeswoman Bettina Luescher says her agency is doing what it can to support livelihood and safety net activities to build up resilience.
In response, Uganda has donated an assortment of food items including bags of rice, wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil and milk which were delivered by the Ugandan AMISOM contingent.
The items were officially handed to Sultan Warsame Alio Ibrow, an elder and chief of Golwayn by Uganda’s Deputy Ambassador to Somalia, Maj Gen Nathan Mugisha.
“Uganda is not only here to do the security part only. We feel sympathetic with the people and we join the wider international community in bringing rescue to especially the displaced communities of Golwayn who have been displaced by the enemy into IDPs (camps); but now have been displaced again by the flooding River Shabelle,” Maj. Gen. Mugisha said, while handing over the donation.
He added: “We appeal to the rest of peace lovers and friends of Somalia to continue their help to support the Somalis to overcome the situation”.
Brig Paul Lokech, the Uganda contingent commander said that the flooding had also adversely impacted on agriculture and movement of persons.
He said some of the displaced families had sought shelter and safety near the AMISOM military defences.
“The areas where the people should be farming is all flooded. There is no productive activity taking place. That therefore means the next season is going to be very difficult for our people,” he added.
If the people can not produce this year because of the flooding, Brig Lokech said, this could result into food shortage next year.
Sultan Warsame Alio Ibrow, a elder and chief of Golwayn who received the food donation expressed gratitude to the Ugandan government and AMISOM for the assistance and called for more humanitarian interventions to assist affected families.
The World Food Program is calling for stronger international support for hundreds of thousands of Somalis impacted by some of the heaviest rains to hit their country in three decades.
For much of the last decade, Somalia has struggled with chronic drought. The 2011 drought was especially bad, killing an estimated 260,000 people.
