A ship carrying humanitarian grain from Russia arrived in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday, the Somali national news agency reported.
"Somalia has received a much-needed aid shipment of 25,000 tons of grain from Russia to address the [consequences of] flooding in the country. The aid shipment, which arrived in Mogadishu on Thursday, was handed over to the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA)," the media outlet said.
It is noted that various officials, including Somali Interior Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, welcomed the ship at the arrival ceremony, while the cargo was officially handed over by Russian Ambassador to Somalia and Djibouti Mikhail Golovanov.
The Somali government welcomed the Russian assistance and expressed gratitude for the country's support.
Somalia is grateful to Russia for humanitarian aid, the country's Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism told Sputnik Africa.
"We are thankful for the delivery of 25,000 tons of grain, which will greatly benefit the thousands of Somali people affected by the current floods resulting from El Nino. This assistance arrives at a crucial moment, and once more we commend Russia for its substantial support and unwavering commitment to helping Somalia overcome this challenging period," Somalia's Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Daud Aweis stated.
The shipment is expected to be the first batch of promised aid to Africa, while Somalia is also hoping for additional support from Russia in the form of humanitarian aid for flood relief.
Earlier, the agency quoted SoDMA commissioner Mohamud Moalim Abdulle as saying that nearly 100 people had died in the ongoing floods in Somalia, with a total of more than two million people in the country affected by the disaster.
Russia's intention to send free humanitarian grain to six African countries, namely Somalia, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic, listed by the World Food Program was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa Summit held in July.
Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said the first two ships, carrying 25,000 metric tons of grain each for Somalia and Burkina Faso, left Russia in mid-November.