A plane carrying 11 tons of vital medical aid from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) touched down in Sudan’s capital Khartoum today. According to the UAE’s WAM news agency, the fresh batch of medical supplies will help 11,000 Sudanese medical professionals as they work to fight COVID-19 in the troubled northeast African nation.  

The United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Sudan, Hamad Mohammed Humaid Al Jneibi, said the delivery is further evidence of his country’s commitment to helping Sudan fight the novel coronavirus.

“The UAE stands with Sudan as it confronts one of the most pressing global challenges to public health and security,” Al Jneibi told WAM. 

“With today’s delivery of aid, it is our concrete aim that the frontline healthcare workers of Sudan will be better equipped to fight the pandemic and overcome this crisis,” the ambassador emphasized. 

On April 22, the UAE sent seven tons of food and COVID-19 aid to Sudan. Since the coronavirus crisis began, the UAE has sent 668 metric tons of aid to 58 countries and facilities to countless other crucial aid deliveries through its International Humanitarian Centre. 

The United Nations World Food Programme predicts that “the COVID19 crisis could put nearly 265 million people at risk of acute hunger by the end of 2020.” The UN warns countries like Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan, which already have weak health systems and poor food security, are at high risk of devastating COVID-19 outbreaks and famine, and has called on wealthy nations to double their aid efforts. 

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