Coastline Exploration Limited ("Coastline"), the upstream oil and gas company focused on East Africa, is donating $1.4m in food aid to 6,000 households in Somalia to help with the famine relief effort.

The food will be donated across three areas, Barawe in South West, Hobyo in Galmudug, and Kismayo in Jubaland, with 2,000 households in each region receiving six essential food types including sugar, rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, spaghetti and milk powder. Every family will receive 87.5 kg of food and 20 litres of cooking oil.

Somalia is confronting its worst drought in 40 years after four successive seasons of poor rainfall have caused livestock to die and crops to fail, with rural populations in hard-to-reach areas the hardest hit. It is affecting around 7.8 million people which is half the population and 90% of the country is facing extreme drought.

Coastline's donation follows those by other organisations including the United Nations World Food Programme and the British Red Cross. The distribution of Coastline's food aid will commence as soon as possible.

Coastline has invested in and is committed to Somalia for the long-term and has been engaged with multiple stakeholders in Somalia since 2018 in respect of its plans for the development of the country's offshore energy industry to enhance the future prosperity of the Somali people.

W. Richard Anderson, Chief Executive of Coastline, commented: "Somalia needs all the help it can get to alleviate the chronic drought and famine conditions that are being so cruel to so many families. We hope that this food aid donation will go some way to ease the suffering."