The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
MOGADISHU / AP
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met Somalia’s new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in Mogadishu on Tuesday to start of what he calls an emergency visit to Somalia to highlight the country’s famine crisis. “People are dying. The world must act now to stop this,” the UN chief tweeted to announce his arrival in this Horn of Africa nation. “We need to make as much noise as possible,” said Guterres. “Conflict, drought, climate change, disease, cholera. The combination is a nightmare.”
The UN leader urged international support to provide food and humanitarian aid to Somalia. “This hunger requires a massive response,” he said. Welcoming the UN chief, Mohamed said: “My first priority is to address this drought crisis and my main priority is to make an appeal to the international community to help us.”
Somalia is one of the six Muslim-majority countries affected by the new travel ban ordered by US President Donald Trump. “Definitely we will prefer to see that this travel ban should be lifted and, of course, we have to communicate with the US government because as everyone knows we have a large Somali community in the United States who I’m sure have contributed to the US economy,” said Mohamed, in response to press questions. “We have to address the root cause, which is the security situation here and how to defeat (Somalia’s extremist rebels) al Shabaab here.”