American firm donates $1.4 million food aid to Somalia after winning lucrative oil deal

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An American oil exploration firm has donated $1.4 million in food aid to drought-hit Somalia, just a few days after Villa Somalia approved an oil deal that had triggered political heat and divisions in the Horn of Africa nation for the last couple of months.

The Coastline Exploration company said it is assisting over 6,000 households in Somalia as part of famine relief even as it emerged that thousands of people have crossed over from the country to neighboring Kenya to take shelter in the Dadaab refugee camp.

Some of the donated foodstuff from the company will be delivered to Barawe in South West, Hobyo in Galmudug, and Kismayo in Jubaland, with 2,000 households in each region receiving six essential food types including sugar, rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, spaghetti and milk powder. Every family will receive 87.5 kg of food and 20 liters of cooking oil, the firm noted.

The country is confronting the worst drought in four decades after rains failed for the last three years, subjecting many families to vulnerability. The drought is affecting over 8 million people, almost half of the country's population, the Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] noted.

Many countries and non-governmental organizations have been donating food to the country, including the World Food Programme [WFP], British Red Cross, and the United States. The United Nations has asked stakeholders to chip in and help the country tackle possible famine.

Coastline Exploration has been having an interest in Somalia oil and the recent permission from Villa Somalia automatically guaranteed the joint venture to explore oil from at least seven wells along the oil-rich deposits of the Indian Ocean.

W. Richard Anderson, Chief Executive of Coastline, commented: "Somalia needs all the help it can get to alleviate the chronic drought and famine conditions that are being so cruel to so many families. We hope that this food aid donation will go some way to ease the suffering."

The Federal Member States in Somalia had initially opposed the move to explore the oil without a comprehensive agreement.

GAROWE ONLINE