To underscore the serviceness with which the government is taking the plight of the populace, the council of cabinet ministers will from today henceforth, Sunday the 19th March 2017, hold extra-ordinary meetings mainly to ponder on comprehensive ways and means in steppingup efforts of combating the worsening drought and famine situation.
The efforts would mainly focus on marshalling of relief supplies such as food, water, medicines etc.
This revelation was made by the Presidential Spokesman Eng. Hussein A. Deyr through a press statement following the traditional Thursday cabinet meeting this week;
Through the leadership of the President H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud Silanyo, the state had spearheaded a home-grow self-help relief supply system which he had personally participated in the exercise itself while crisscrossing the countryside, reaching points no past president ever did.
In underpinning the importance of the efforts for the sake of the people and country of Somaliland hence prioritizing their plight, the President is now underscoring seeks more ways and means of stepping up the efforts.
It is in this context that after a five day marathon meeting of the nation drought relief committee briefed the cabinet in details.
According to the press release, the committee’s brief contained their achievements, what they raised, how they disbursed, the constraints they encountered and the advices on how the efforts can be best addressed.
The cabinet marathon meeting which continued past two in the afternoon saw the members delve deeply into the issue and discurssed it widely.
It is noteworthy to point out that the state has sent international SOS on the matter severally but the larger international community is still yet respond.
It also should be noted that ironically, the UN sounded a famine decree for southern Sudan last month, the first time since the last similar UN sanctioned SOS in 2011, whereby parameters show this region more affected.
The cabinet is to ponder on a collective and comprehensive national strategy about this national disaster while seeking support from both within and without.
In a similar story, the minister of the Presidency appealed to both Somalilanders in the country and abroad and also to the international community to help eke in support for the relief efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the people.
The minister at the same time defended the National Relief Committee members as eminent personalities who were not only diligent but took their time away from their personal chores to help the nation.
They were personalities drawn from the top echelous of the chergy, business fraternity and public service.
The minister thanked the Ethiopian and Djibouti governments for aiding 8,000 and 12,000 families respectively.
He announced that the state would supply relief aid to 41,000 families this week, doubling the rations.
The dire situation has descended from bad to worse. The pastoral communities of Somaliland have been left without their lifeline support, the livestock.
The state has also been hit hard by the famine since the revenues coming from the directly affected areas e.g. livestock export has depleted.
