Campaign for Somalia receives Dh18.8m

Dubai: The first day of the A'enohom ('help them' in Arabic) campaign for Somalia has received Dh18.8 million through the Dubai Media Establishment and its other audio-visual outlets.

The campaign is being held in cooperation with Dubai Media Establishment and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.

The United Nations says more than 3.2 million Somalis — nearly half the population — need food aid after a severe drought that has been complicated by Somalia's long-running war.

More than 450,000 Somalis live in famine zones controlled by Al Qaida-linked militants, where aid is difficult to deliver. The US says 29,000 Somali children under the age of 5 already have died.