Between 50 and 70 flights are scheduled until July 11 in the direction of the district of El Barde, in the southwest of the country.
Le Monde with AFP
The European Union (EU) announced on Wednesday July 6 the organization of a humanitarian air bridge to send emergency aid to the populations of Somalia threatened by famine.
“We organize a series of flights to provide essential supplies, mainly foodstuffs and drugs, to our humanitarian partners in remote regions of Somalia, in which this aid can only be routed by air “Explained European Commissioner Janez Lenarcic in a press release.
The EU allocated 800,000 euros for this “major logistics operation”. It should require between 50 and 70 flights and the first plane was to take off this Wednesday towards the district of El Barde, in the southwest of Somalia. It will transport 6.5 tonnes of therapeutic foods and medical supplies for humanitarian organization Action against Hunger, EU partner, said the European executive.
Several other flights are scheduled between Wednesday and July 11 to the Baidoa, Luuq and Wajid regions, the press release said. “The historic drought that affects the horn of Africa, aggravated by the repercussions of the war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine, leads to considerable suffering and massive movements,” said Commissioner Lenarcic.
Derresses and recurring floods
Flights and supplies are financed on the EU budget devoted to humanitarian aid, said the European Commission. Somalia suffers from extreme weather conditions, in particular from droughts and recurrent floods.
The country faces a fourth season of the failed consecutive rains, and this situation is aggravated by a prolonged conflict with the Chabab jihadists, political instability and an invasion of pilgrims, said the press release. More than 7.7 million people, of which thousands are threatened with famine, need humanitarian aid.
In 2022, the EU allocated 61 million euros to humanitarian projects in Somalia, mainly aimed at dealing with the current drought. The EU has already organized a humanitarian air bridge in Somalia in 2020.