A ship with 25,000 tonnes of humanitarian wheat from Russia arrived on Thursday in the Somali capital Mogadishu, the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) said.
"The FGS has today received 25,000 tons of wheat from Russia government, at the Mogadishu seaport. The aid is aimed [to] be distributed to Somalis affected by floods caused by El-Niño and river flooding," the agency said.
The authorities went on to say that in a brief ceremony, the aid package was given to SoDMA by the Russian Ambassador to Somalia and Djibouti Mikhail Golovanov, with the presence of other government officials, including Somalia's Interior Minister Ahmed Fiqi.
The Somali government welcomed Russian assistance and expressed gratitude for the country's support. It is expected that this cargo will be the first tranche of aid promised to Africa, while Somalia is also hoping for additional support from Russia in the form of humanitarian aid to eliminate the consequences of floods.
Earlier, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told official media in Somalia that the floods had killed 101 people, displaced a further million, wrecked 140,000 homes, killed 4,000 cattle, and damaged crucial infrastructure.
Last month, the Russian agricultural minister stated that the humanitarian ships to the Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Mali and Eritrea will be sent to their destinations before the end of 2023.