BEIRUT: A shipment of aid from Lebanon to famine-struck Somalia arrived in Mogadishu over the weekend and a Lebanese delegation has handed the much-needed supplies to local authorities.

The humanitarian assistance includes 1,350 food ration packs each containing rice, sugar, baby milk and flour weighing 25 kg per share.

A further 2.5 tons of medical supplies were also sent as part of the aid. Some 3.7 million Somalis are at risk of starvation in the worst drought the country has seen in decades.

The Lebanese delegation arrived in Mogadishu Friday and, under the guidance of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, released the aid to local authorities.

The Lebanese aid shipment to Somalia was undertaken under the auspices of the government’s Higher Relief Committee along with the Health Ministry and the Zakat Fund of Dar al-Fatwa.

Deputy Minister of Constitution and Federal Affairs Suleiman Ibrahim singled Lebanon out among the first Arab country to offer assistance to his country.