[29/05/2018 07:33]

SOCOTRA-SABA
Governor of Socotra Ramzi Mahroos received today a delegation from different United Nations organizations who came to assess the needs of the people of the archipelago province in the aftermath of the cyclone Mekunu that hit and other parts of Yemen.

The delegation will conduct field visits and prepare a comprehensive report on the situation in the archipelago within a duration of one week.

Pointing to the extent of the damage caused to Mekunu, Mahroos said the archipelago is yet to face a season of winds that often interrupts supply to the islands, another disaster in addition to Mekunu.

He said that Socotra's local authority had procured four months' worth of food stuff before Mekunu struck destroying the ships laden with thousands of tons of commodities and caused dozens of merchants to lose millions of Riayls. Now, he said, the province is without any food up stocked on for the winds season, while the available foodstuff barely covers a single month's worth of consumption. He said that an acute humanitarian disaster is looming unless the humanitarian organizations do something.

The head of the UN visiting delegation Taha Ebrahim said that "the aim of the visit to Socotra Archipelago is to look at the most important needs of the province that had been affected by Mekunu and we will work to convey a clear idea to the United Nations organizations" about those needs.

He pointed out that the team will have discussions with the competent agencies and the humanitarian organizations working in Socotra. He said that the most important problem faced by the United Nations organizations in Socotra is the lack of a clear plan for humanitarian response and any interventions can only rest on such a plan.

He said that his team will work to submit a comprehensive report that determines Socotra's needs and the type of interventions needed. He said that some UN relief aid-laden flights will arrive in the archipelago during the next two days.

---