Thursday July 7, 2022
The European Union Wednesday launched a humanitarian air bridge, airlifting emergency supplies to Somalia's hard-to-reach areas.
The EU said it will be a major logistics operation, with an estimated 50 to 70 flights needed to deliver essential food supplies.
"We are organizing a series of flights that will deliver essential supplies, mainly food and medicines, to our humanitarian partners in far-flung regions of Somalia, where air transport is the only way to deliver this assistance," European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in a statement.
Lenarcic said Somalia is facing an increased risk of famine with more than 7 million people, 45 percent of the population, already acutely food insecure. He added that the historic drought affecting the Horn of Africa, compounded by the repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is resulting in massive suffering and displacement.
The EU said it has allocated up to 815,000 U.S. dollars to this special operation, which will support the delivery of EU-funded medical and nutritional supplies during the dry season. And the humanitarian partners have ramped up health and nutrition interventions, among other forms of assistance, to people who are affected by drought.
According to the United Nations, at least 200 children have died of malnutrition and disease in stabilization centers across Somalia since January. Already more than 805,000 people have been newly displaced by the drought, a situation expected only to deteriorate further.
The EU said the first flight, carrying 6.5 tons of therapeutic nutrition and medical supplies for the EU's humanitarian partner Action Against Hunger is expected to depart to Somalia's south-western district of Elbarde on Wednesday.
According to the EU, it's expected that between July 6 and July 11, more flights will reach the regions of Baidoa, Luuq and Wajid, with supplies for humanitarian partners.