Mandera, Kenya, 6 April, 2006 (WAM)---The UAE Red Crescent Societyhas distributed here today relief supplies to drought victimsin the Neobi area, in north eastern Kenya.

Relief dispatches were sent to the affected area by air, landand sea to help save thousands of lives in the famine-hit Kenya.

The UAE RCS delegation which is headed by Dr Saleh Mousa AlTaei toured Neobi area which has an all-muslim population of3000 people who are in dire need of food supplies, medicine andwater.

The UAE delegation's visit to Neobi highlighted many humanitarianissues facing the local population, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed AlNahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the UAE RCS stated.

The delegation visited the Central Hospital of Mandera region.

The hospital is without services, has no ambulance vehicles andis short of medicines and medical equipment and beds, ShaikhOmar Mukhtar, General manager of the hospital said.

The hospital has no beds at all and all patients are forced tosleep on the floor, he added.

Children in particular suffer from malnutrition, malaria anddiarrheaand anemia and are forced to drink water from swamps and poolsriddled by dead animals.

Al Taei called on all hospitals and drug companies and factoriesto donate as soon as possible medicines to help save the livesof thousands of children and mothers who have been displacedby famine, drought and thirst.

In a meeting attended by representatives of UNICEF and the KenyanMinistry of Health, the UAE delegationwas briefed by Governor of Mandera Region Mohammed Jeljo aboutthe humanitarian disaster in the region, where rainfall has stopped3 years ago and all animals has expired.

Jeljo lauded the humanitarian philanthropic role played by theUAE RCS and its Chairman Sheikh Hamdan who ordered the immediatedispatching of 160 tons of releif supplies to affected areas.