ARTICLE: Ethiopian government donates

food aid to Hiiraan residents

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DATELINE: 14/AUGUST/2016, BELETWEYNE,
SOMALIA

Beletweyne, 14 August 2016 - The Ethiopian government has

donated food aid to residents of Hiiraan who were displaced by
floods early this year.
The consignment that also included non-food items was donated to
the Mayor of Beletweyne, Omar Adan Dekow, by the Deputy
Ambassador of Ethiopia to Somalia, Jamaldiin Mustafa Omar, at a
function held in Beletweyne, last week.
The donation is a response to appeals made by Hiiraan
administration officials to development partners to help assist more
than 7,000 families who were affected by the raging floods after
River Shabelle, which originates from Ethiopian highlands, broke its
banks in mid-October last year.
Many people living in Beletweyne, Bulo Burde and Jalalaqsi lost their
homes, crops and livestock after floodwaters spread to the nearby
towns.
Mr Dekow thanked the Ethiopian government for its generosity,
saying the consignment will be used to ease the suffering of
internally displaced persons.
I would like to thank the Ethiopian government for their noble
gesture, donating food aid to help the residents of Beletweyne who
suffered from flooding in the months of May and June, said the
Mayor.
The effects of the floods are still evident at the Eeel Jaale refugee
camp, located 5km east of Beletweyne town, where many of the
residents who were marooned by floods are residing.

The internally displaced persons (IDPs) also thanked the people of

Ethiopia for the kind gesture, urging other partners to come to their
aid. The IDPs are currently in dire need of food and non-food items.
The residents also commended the Ethiopian troops serving under
the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for their role in
improving security in Hiraan, saying their presence has helped
secure the region from Al-Shabaab militants.
The Ambassador said Ethiopia is not only involved in security
matters in Somalia but was also contributing to the development of
the country.
The Ethiopian government is not only involved in security matters.
In the past year alone we offered education scholarships to 350
local students. Despite the challenges we face in our country, we
thought of sharing what we have with our brothers in Somalia,
Ambassador Omar added.