MOGADISHU – Turkish Red Crescent is set to launch humanitarian aid mission to help tens of thousands of displaced people in Baladweyne town, about 335km away from Mogadishu.
Turkey’s Ambassador to Somalia, Olgan Baker, says its Red Crescent would lead Turkish humanitarian aid mission to Baladweyn, amid heavy rains forced more than 175,000 people across Somalia.
The move comes after Turkish envoy Baker met with Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheire to discuss the dire condition of Baladweyne town.
Nearly 120,000 people were displaced in Beledweyne town – one of the worst affected areas –after the Shabelle river burst its banks
UN said that heavy rains had forced more than 175,000 people across Somalia from their homes, after saw rivers burst their banks this month.
The rains also affected more than 174,000 people in Baidoa, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of Somali capital Mogadishu, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Before the floods struck, an estimated 5.4 million people needed emergency aid, including food, water and shelter.
Funding for humanitarian assistance was already insufficient and would now be further stretched, the United Nations said.
With Reporting Abdirisak Mohamud Tuuryare from Mogadishu, Somalia
