Chinese embassy hands over 1 mln USD to help flood victims in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Somalia on Tuesday handed over one million U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid to the Somali government to help victims of the recent floods in the Horn of Africa nation.

Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Fei Shangchao said the latest humanitarian assistance from Beijing will bring some respite to victims of flooding caused by El Nino rains.

"When the floods hit Somalia, China was the very first country this year to reach out to Somalia. This is already the fourth time this year for the Chinese government to reach out to Somalia in times of need, as we all know the long history of our friendship," Fei said.

Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, the commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, thanked China for the timely assistance to the flood victims. "The Chinese government supports Somalia directly; the assistance is tangible and reaches people."

Flooding in southern and central Somalia has killed more than 100 people and displaced 1.7 million, according to government statistics.