UK announces new £25 million aid package for Somalia to support almost 1m people
April 27, 2022, 6:52 am

UK announces new £25 million aid package for Somalia to support almost 1m people

People walk near the wreckage of a car near the complex housing Somalia’s ministries of works and labor stormed by al-Shabaab militants in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. (File photo: AFP)

The Arab News reported, the UK Foreign Office said on Tuesday (Apr 26) that Minister for Africa Vicky Ford has announced a new £25 million ($31.4 million) aid package to provide vital services to almost a million people in Somalia, as the country teeters on the brink of widespread famine.

Speaking at a roundtable event organized by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ford announced the package of lifesaving food, water, nutrition and emergency health support and called on other international donors to step up.

Ford said: “The UK is stepping up our support with an additional £25 million, taking our support to almost £40 million in 2022 alon. After a quarter of a million people needlessly died from hunger in Somalia in 2011, we said never again. Now is the time for the international community to fulfill that commitment and stand with the people of Somalia.”

UK announces £25 million aid package for Somalia, supporting almost one million people (File photo: Pixabay)

After three failed rainy seasons, approximately half the population require life-saving aid due to the ongoing drought, the UK Foreign Office said, adding forecasts suggest a fourth failed rain is likely. The UN estimate that there are pockets of famine in the county now, with more than one million people on the edge.

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The minister also announced a groundbreaking partnership with Qatar, which will see the Qatari government invest $1.5 million with the UK toward the emergency response and resilience-building in Somalia.

On Monday, the Minister conducted a virtual visit to Baidoa in Somalia where the UK is supporting almost 120,000 people with food and water support. She met with representatives from the Norwegian Refugee Council, a UK partner on the ground, and heard from communities affected.

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The UK Government committed an initial £14.5 million of support for Somalia earlier this year, which is expected to support almost 500,000 people to access clean water and afford food supplies.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.