USAID Announces New Emergency Food Aid Contribution to Somalia
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Somalia is in the grips of a humanitarian emergency. It has been racked by several years of bad harvests, increasing inflation and rising commodity prices, as well as protracted civil conflict, mainly in its southern and central regions. Somalia suffers from extreme rates of malnutrition, large scale population movements, and high prices for basic commodities.
This donation represents the United States government’s commitment to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Somalia. The United State Government believes that only a durable political solution will end the violence and instability in the country.
The United States is the largest donor of food aid in the world and has provided more than $2.2 billion in food aid worldwide, to date, in fiscal year 2008, including $198 million for Somalia. .
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.