Germany Pledges To Double $76 Million in Aid For Somalia

German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, has announced that Germany will double its initial pledge of $76 million in aid to Somalia to help the devastated East African country fight the severe drought and famine in the country.

Gabriel made the announcement in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Monday.

Gabriel traveled to Somalia for a surprise visit, where he met with Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire. After seeing the devastation that the drought has caused – leaving millions of Somalis hungry and without basic needs – Gabriel said that Germany will need to increase the amount of aid they have pledged to the country.

“We are ready to at least double that [$76 million],” he said in a statement.

Khaire thanked Gabriel and Germany for their support.

The United Nations has appealed to various countries’ human rights organisations over the past two months for more aid for Somalia.

The UN has estimated that more than 5 million Somalis are in desperate need of food and other aid. While the country has only declared famine in certain regions, the UN fears that the rest of the country will soon follow suit.

In March, the UN listed several African countries that are either already affected by famine or on the verge of dealing with a devastating faine outbreak.

These countries included Somalia, Nigeria and South Sudan.