DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates sent a second batch of 30 tons of emergency relief to flood-hit Sudan, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday.
Under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the supervision of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), the aid was sent to support families affected in the floods.
At least 99 people were killed, and 93 others were injured when flash floods struck Sudan early August, according to the country’s National Council of Civil Defense.
A total of 23,724 homes were completely destroyed, leaving hundreds displaced.
ERC field teams also established camps to shelter those affected by the torrential rains and floods, WAM reported.
“In compliance with the directives of the wise leadership, the field teams of the Emirates Red Crescent have begun establishing the first camps to shelter the affected Sudanese people and provide them with various relief and food material in order to alleviate their suffering and restore normalcy,” Mohammed Khamis Al Kaabi, head of the ERC delegation to Sudan, said.
The ERC teams also handled the emergency evacuation and sheltering efforts, providing psychological support to those in need.
Over 570 tents were set up across different villages to provide temporary shelter for people, WAM reported.
The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation also sent Sudan 30 tons of aid – which included 15 tons of essential food and medical supplies – to the states of River Nile, Gezira, White Nile, West Kordofan, South Darfur, and Kassala.
The package will provide the necessary supplies to people struggling to cope with the horrific impact of the floods, the foundation said in a statement.
It includes first-aid kits and food supplies, such as rice, flour, sugar, powdered milk, tea, and lentils, the statement added.
The Foundation’s aid program comes as part of the directives of the UAE’s leadership in consolidation of the long-standing ties between the two countries, WAM reported.
“The relief aid sent by the UAE will meet the needs of the Sudanese people for sheltering those affected by the floods, and for medications, including antibiotics, to chronic diseases in various Sudanese states,” Sudanese Health Minister-designate Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said.
He said that the aid reflects the generosity of the UAE’s leadership, government, and people.
Ibrahim and Ahmed Adam Bakheet, Minister-designate of Social Development of Sudan, along with the members of the UAE Embassy in Khartoum, welcomed the UAE delegation accompanying the relief aid upon its arrival, according to WAM.
“I highly appreciate the noble gesture by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for providing food and medical aid to our people,” Sudanese Minister-Designate of Social Development Bakheet said.
