Following the 14th of October terrorist attack, EU Naval Force personnel have been deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in order to support the victims affected by the recent bombings.
HNLMS Rotterdam is the second of EU NAVFOR’s ships to offer help to the region, after ESPS Rayo delivered medical stores and medical equipment shortly after the incident. The Rotterdam provided the UN hospital in Mogadishu with urgently needed medical specialists and equipment in order to care for victims of the attack. Medical personnel and equipment were brought to the hospital with the help of AMISOM Forces. The specialists are providing short term expertise, helping to ensure a longer term medical capability by those already in Mogadishu. EU NAVFOR ships were sent to Mogadishu because the vast size of the terrorist attack and the number of casualties in desperate need for medical help exceeded the care that could be provided locally.
In addition to EU NAVFOR efforts, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) has started relief efforts last week and released emergency funding. This will support humanitarian partners to quickly provide medical and surgical supplies, referral services through ambulance services, the Deployment of an Emergency Rapid Response Team, as well as the provision of psychological support & counselling services to relatives and survivors of the incident, and the training of government health care staff. The EU is a leading humanitarian donor to Somalia, having provided €119 million in emergency assistance in 2017. More information can be found
