Iran's Foreign Ministry has called for an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation as millions of people are on the brink of starvation amid worsening food crisis in famine-hit Somalia, Press TV reported.
The ministry on Monday called on all 57 members of the Jeddah-based organization to work together and solve Somalia's relentless conflict, which has depleted the Horn of Africa country's food supplies, IRNA reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic plans to donate USD 25 million to the famine-stricken people of Somalia.
"The USD 25 million worth of goods will be sent for the famine-stricken Somalis," Salehi said on the sidelines of the Cabinet's meeting.
Last week Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei donated roughly USD 20,000 to the people of Somalia.
The drought and the famine it has caused in Horn of Africa nations have affected more than 11.8 million people across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Somalia is hardest-hit by what is described as the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in 60 years.
According to the United Nations, it is estimated that a quarter of Somalia's population of 9.9 million are now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees.
The UN has declared famine in five regions in Somalia, warning that the international humanitarian response to the crisis has been insufficient.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew the country's former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia remains one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced persons in the world.