UK foreign minister visits Somalia, pledges drought aid

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (R) and UNICEF Somalia Country Director Steven Lauwerier help to load supplies for treating malnourished children affected by severe drought in Somalia onto a cargo plane at Mogadishu International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia March 15, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

MOGADISHU - British foreign minister Boris Johnson met Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Wednesday, pledging aid to help combat the effects of a devastating drought, the Somali president's office said.

The country has been mired in civil war for more than a quarter of a century, and this year around 6.2 million Somalis, around half the population, need aid after the drought withered crops, killed livestock and dried up waterholes in East Africa.

A statement from the Somali president's office said Britain would give 110 million pounds ($134.35 million) for drought in some parts of Somalia.

The British Foreign Office said in a statement that Johnson discussed the drought and security.

Reuters