Daijiworld Media Network- Dubai
Dubai, Sep 15: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice -president and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai ordered two humanitarian flights , for transporting aid to Sudan and Ethiopia have reached Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
Under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the International Humanitarian City in Dubai (IHC) facilitated two Boeing 747 cargo flights to support the global humanitarian community’s efforts to help Sudan and Ethiopia tackle health, refugee and flood crises. On Monday, the second aid flight arrived in Khartoum from Dubai International Airport , carrying around 100 tonnes of relief and shelter items, including blankets, kitchen sets and tarpaulins provided by The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to bring relief to Tigray refugees in Sudan and the populations affected by floods in the country.
On September 10, another aid flight from Dubai reached Addis Ababa, carrying 85 tonnes of medicines, medical items and cholera kits supplied by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to tackle cholera outbreak and ongoing COVID-19 challenges in Ethiopia.
Giuseppe Saba, chief executive officer of International Humanitarian City, said that : They are thankfull for the generosity and the support from his highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the International Humanitarian city in Dubai was able to respond rapidly to the evolving crises globally and help those in need. This was only possible because of the support from his Highness. IHC, and the humanitarian community that they hosted went the extra mile because of the increasing demand for humanitarian assistance. IHC will continue to dispatch aid that is stored in IHC warehouses in Dubai, to support communities in need across the globe,.
Robert Blanchard from the WHO Logistics team in Dubai said: we were gratefull for the tremendous support provided by the UAE, as we continued to strengthen our health logistics capabilities to protect vulnerable populations around the world. The health supplies on the flight to Addis Ababa alone were enough to take care of 140,000 patients in need of trauma care and 15,000 cholera patients. The generosity of the UAE and their partnership with the International Humanitarian City made it possible for WHO to mound rapid cases to acute health emergencies, eliminating suffering and saving lives in the end.
Ilir Caushaj, head of IFRC’s Global Fleet and Logistics Hub in Dubai, said: we were gratefull to the International Humanitarian City and the Government of Dubai. We were working around the clock to extend aid to save the lives of people. Hundreds of Sudanese families affected by the flooding and Ethopian refugees living in Sudan had access to blankets, kitchen items and tarapaulins. Some of the challenges faced by the people of Sudan were access to clean water and covid-19 . IFRC and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society is set to help them, the aid flight is expected to aid 21,500 beneficiaries.