Somalia thanks Turkish charity for humanitarian support amid looming La Niña drought

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Somalia expressed gratitude on Sunday to Türkiye's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) for its continued support in delivering critical humanitarian aid to remote areas with limited access to food donations.

The appreciation came after Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency Commissioner Mahamuud Moallim met with a Turkish delegation led by IHH Deputy Chairman Huseyin Oruc in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.

In a statement, the Somali Disaster Management Agency noted that the meeting aimed to strengthen existing agreements and cooperation on disaster response and resilience-building in Somalia.

“The meeting focused on addressing humanitarian concerns, exploring collaboration opportunities to enhance the agency's capabilities, and discussing strategies for acquiring necessary resources and transportation for relief efforts,” the statement read.

Somalia is bracing for the upcoming La Niña drought, which is expected to push the number of people facing crisis levels of hunger to 4.4 million between October and December 2024, according to humanitarian forecasts.

Türkiye, a close ally of Somalia, has made significant investments in the country’s education, infrastructure, and health sectors and has been a major source of humanitarian aid. Türkiye operates its largest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu and has also built its largest overseas military training facility there to support the Somali National Army.