[ Somalia File ]

September 7, 2011 – APA

Dakar (Senegal) The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has said it has begun assessing the situation in famine-ravaged Somali with a view to preparing appropriate response to the continuing crisis. According to an OIC statement released to APA on Wednesday, the organization has dispatched a high-level delegation led by Assistant Secretary General for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Atta Al-Manane Bakhit to Mogadishu on Tuesday.

The objective of the visit is to take stock of the programs implemented by the OIC Relief Coalition for Somalia in Mogadishu camps and in the southern parts of the country. 

The OIC officials will hold talks with the members of the coalition to assess the previous efforts and develop a vision for the future, and prepare for another meeting with the government of Somalia to brief them on OIC’s humanitarian programs to be conducted in the country in the next stage. 

The delegation will also meet UN organizations active in Somalia and Kenya with a view to sharing information and coordinating efforts to address the tragic humanitarian situation in Somalia. 

Since June, Somalia has been ravaged by drought-induced famine which has killed thousands of people, mostly women and children and threatens hundreds of thousands more. 

Somalia is one of several countries in the horn of Africa gravely affected by this humanitarian crisis. Famine is also ravaging parts of Kenya and Ethiopia.

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