UN's Guterres in Somalia amid crippling drought

(11 Apr 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Baidoa, Somalia - 11 April 2023 1. Various of UN Secretary-General António Guterres arriving at Baidoa airport 2. Various of Guterres visiting the camp for the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Baidoa 3. Various of Guterres meeting with families displaced by drought 4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, UN Secretary-General: "It’s time for the international community to mobilise much more support to the Somalis to get into their security of their people and fight terrorism, support Somalia to solve humanitarian drama that we can witness in the camp like this and support to the Somalis in creating the conditions to build resilience of their populations and to create the path of development for the people of Somalia. In the holy month of Ramadan, we need to have a generosity from the international community that is absolutely crucial to rescue these people that I have seen in this camp and that live in such dramatic circumstances.” 5. Various of the camps for IDPs in Baidoa 6. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Habiba Isak Ibrahin, displaced woman: "As well as growing crops on my farm, I raised livestock as well, but due to the drought both crops and livestock were destroyed. Additionally, we were facing difficulties from al Shabaab, and this prompted us to seek assistance in order to resolve these difficulties. Therefore, we came to this location to seek assistance." 7. Various of the IDP camp STORYLINE: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for "the international community to mobilise much more support" for Somalia during his visit to the East African country that is facing the worst drought in decades. He said Somalia is facing humanitarian difficulties at the same time that it is combating a serious terrorism threat. The UN secretary-general was given a red carpet welcome complete with a guard of honour as he was received at the main international airport by Somalia and UN officials. He thanked Mohamud for the warm welcome and said he was looking forward to Iftar — the breaking of the Ramadan fast — later on Tuesday. Most of Mogadishu was locked down for Guterres' visit, with restricted movement of public transport. Mohamud thanked Guterres for his historic visit in the midst of tackling humanitarian challenges and accelerating war against terrorism. Food security experts say life remains “extremely critical” for more than 6 million hungry people in Somalia’s historic drought. The country also faces insecurity as it battles thousands of fighters from al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab. AP video by Mohamed Sheikh Nor =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...