Iran pioneering in humanitarian activities around world: official

Tehran, Sept 28, IRNA – The Iranian nation and government have been always pioneering in helping the needy people around the world, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said on Tuesday.

Mohammad-Najjar made the remarks in a ceremony held before sending the biggest aid shipment to famine-stricken Somalia on Tuesday.

The aid has been described as the largest cargo shipped from Iran to Somalia, which is currently suffering from famine and drought.

“Iran aid and services to the needy people around the world is a document which proves the country's humanitarianism”, Mohammad-Najjar underscored.

The drought and famine has affected over 11.8m people across Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Somalia has been the hardest-hit country in what is described as the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in 60 years.

The UN says 3.2m Somalis are in need of immediate life-saving assistance.

According to UN reports, about 3.7m people in Somalia are on the brink of starvation and millions more in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have been affected by the drought./end