VP tells visiting UK based Islamic charities led by MP Abbot
By M.A. Egge
Somalilandsun – The VP H.E. Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael Sayli’ has reiterated the fact that the prevalent drought situation and the effects of famine it has left in its wake is far much greater than the meagre ability the country can amass to cope up with.
The VP candidly gave the facts to the 17-person team of five British charity groups that paid him a courtesy call on Friday.
The VP happens to be the chairman of the national relief coordination committee which was constituted by the President to help distribute relief supplies and evaluate the exact situation of the calamity.
Led by UK parliamentarian Ms Diane Abbot the British charity organizations were in effect answering to SL’s International appeal for relief and aid in the wake of the drought which has been going on for over three seasons.
The VP gave a detailed recap of the relief efforts since its commencement.
He told the representatives from the Islamic Relief, African Relief, Muslim Hands, Human Appeal and Charity Rights groups that at first the government brought up together the little state could afford and immediately started on an emergency basis the distribution of relief aids.
This was with the help of the general Somalilander fraternity.
Later on, he said, further help was recieved from the UA.E, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and later on the WFP.
With concerted efforts, the VP explained, SL managed to have 50,000 families being distributed with emergency relief aid.
“it is clear that the extent and effect of the famine caused by the drought was beyond what we could cope with”, said H.E. Abdirahman Sayli’i.
He underpinned the fact that the people were completely improvished hence they needed their life-line economies to be propped up, especially in the livestock area which so them competely depleted or wiped out hence direly need restocking and also in the agricultural sector.
Miss Abbot said that she represented both her country and headed the delegation hence was here to take part in the humanitarian efforts of relief.
She was elected in an East London constituency where Somalis population was formidable.
Speaking on behelf of the Islamic Relief was Dr. Hani Bana who revealed that a major International humanitarian summit was due to be held soon hence urged the imperativeness of having SL attend it.
He said that they would highlight further the situation on the ground that has gripped this country.
They left for the Awdal and Selal regions in the western and northern parts of the country where it was hardest hit.
The UK humanitarian team was received by the FM Hon. Sa’ad Ali Shire upon their arrival who was flanked by his Religious and endowment counterpart Sh. Khalid A. Ahmed.
