Mogadishu, March 09, 2022, SPA -- The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) launched here yesterday a project to support food security in Somalia, to secure 2,838 tons of food baskets, each weighing 67 kilograms, to be distributed to 254,184 individuals affected by the drought there. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid, Chairman of the Drought Relief Committee, the Saudi Ambassador to Somalia Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Mawlid, and a number of Somali officials as well as representatives of international humanitarian and civil society organizations. Somali Deputy Prime Minister thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the KSrelief, for its continuous assistance to the needy in his country, praising the KSrelief's support for the Somali economy by securing foodstuffs from the local market instead of importing them from abroad. For his part, Al-Mawlid, stated that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes in the humanitarian, moral and religious duty towards the brotherly Somali people, and in implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Kingdom has taken the initiative to present an urgent humanitarian and relief aid package for the Somali people to contribute to alleviating the drought crisis, in addition to implementing a number of development projects in the health, educational and social fields during the coming period. This falls within the framework of the humanitarian aid provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the drought in Somalia. -- SPA 21:40 LOCAL TIME 18:40 GMT 0041 www.spa.gov.sa/w1703366