Turkey to send 15,000 tons of aid to drought-ridden Somalia

The Turkish Red Crescent Society is set to send 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Somalia on Friday, the organization said Wednesday.

A ship carrying relief goods will depart from Turkey's Mediterranean province of Mersin following a ceremony which will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, a statement released by the agency said.

Turkish Red Crescent President Kerem Kinik and Disaster and Emergency Management Authority President Mehmet Halis Bilden will also attend the ceremony.

The aid, which includes 8.6 tons of flour, 3.1 tons of sugar as well as food and medicine, is expected to arrive at the Somali capital Mogadishu on June 18-19.

Turkish aid agencies, including the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, sent aid to the drought-hit country as part of a campaign instructed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Somalia is one of the several African states facing famine due to drought. Eleven of its 18 regions have been hit by the drought.

More than 6 million people are in urgent need of food, according to aid agencies.

The drought has led to a lack of clean water and cholera has killed more than 600 people this year, the World Health Organization has said.

The UN said at least 615,000 people have been displaced since 2016 and 40,000 children have stopped attending school.