LONDON, 28 April 2022, (TON): The Foreign Office said “UK 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 alone.”

“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.”

The UK Foreign Office said “after three failed rainy seasons, approximately half the population require life-saving aid due to the ongoing drought.”