Qatar Aid to Somalia Reaches 188 Tons

Ankara , August 18 (QNA) - The State of Qatar has sent a total of 188 tons of medical and other relief supplies to Somalia ever since the famine broke out in the country.
HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Kuwari said that Qatari search and rescue teams are residing in a number of temporary medical units that were sent to provide medical care to the victims of the famine. Qatari humanitarian organizations sent food and medical aid in addition to tents and field teams. The total sum of the Qatari organizations aid reached QR20 million and counting.
HE the Minister was speaking during the emergency meeting of the OIC Executive Committee. The meeting, held in Ankara, discusses the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Somalia. The meeting also aims to intensify efforts to respond quickly to the suffering of the people affected by the famine in the Horn of Africa.
The famine resulted in a large number of refugee to neighboring countries, a large sector of the people are also suffering malnutrition.
The Minister stressed that the holding of the emergency conference shows that there is a large gap between the plans put to face the famine and the means provided to carrying out those plans. He pointed out that there is still a large amount of people in need in spite of the international community s quick response to the disaster.
The Minister called on the OIC member countries to make a bigger effort and better coordination in delivering the necessary aid. He also called on the member countries to contribute with development plans to face such crises, in addition to collecting the necessary resources to ease the burden of the victims suffering. The Minister believes that the international community should contribute to enforce food security in the Horn of Africa and support the means of living of the people residing in rural and agricultural areas.
The Minister said that the crisis in the horn of Africa pits the international community against great responsibilities. (QNA)