More than two months have passed since the outbreak of clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which led to increasing sufferings of civilians amid severe shortage of services, food and medical materials, and terrible security chaos. The numbers of casualties and displaced persons from the war have doubled, amid severe material losses in the capital, Khartoum and beyond, especially in West Darfur state.
Based on its humanitarian and moral role and its commitment to its responsibility as an active partner in the international community, the State of Qatar is always keen to play a leading role in providing humanitarian and development assistance, and in this context it continues its generous and unremitting efforts to contain crises in brotherly and friendly countries. In this regard, it gives unrelenting assistance to the afflicted peoples without discrimination by operating air bridges to transport hundreds or even thousands of tons of relief aid, in response to emergency and urgent conditions.
In this context, the State of Qatar had announced, under the generous directives of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the operation of an air bridge to support Sudanese people with food and medical aid, a move that affirmed the permanent support of Qatar’s leadership and people for the Sudanese people amid their aggravated humanitarian situation.
This Qatari medical and humanitarian aid to Sudanese people was also accompanied by the evacuation of 1,784 Sudanese people who have Qatari residency aboard Qatari airplanes. The total aid provided by the Qatar Red Crescent and Qatar Charity in partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development amounted to 301 tons.
In this context, Adviser to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said on June 6, in the weekly media briefing organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the Qatari air bridge has continued since the start of the fighting in Sudan to provide medical aid. On June 6, the 10th plane took off to the city of Port Sudan, carrying 37 tons of foodstuffs. It also evacuated 164 people who have Qatari residency, most of them Sudanese, bringing the total of those evacuated from Sudan until that time to 1,784 residents. He added that the total aid reached 301 tons, stressing that the air bridge flights would continue in the coming days.
Within the framework of this global humanitarian effort and momentum, especially at the level of Arab and Islamic countries, the Qatari relief aid to Sudan came at the right time, after the ongoing violent clashes between the army and the RSF created catastrophic health, humanitarian, economic, living and security conditions. These deteriorating situations aggravated the crises of the Sudanese people despite the Jeddah Agreement and other related truces seeking to provide protection for civilians.
The State of Qatar will also chair a high-level conference on Monday in Geneva to support the humanitarian response plan in Sudan and the region, along with the UN, Egypt, Germany and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the EU.
In addition to this important humanitarian event, Qatar has extensive bilateral or multilateral humanitarian partnerships with many countries, organizations and specialized and relevant UN agencies, some of which come within the framework of Qatar’s strategic dialogues with world countries. Since 2010, Qatar has established itself as a pioneer in the humanitarian work at the international level.
Since the outbreak of the crisis in Sudan, Qatar has been keen to participate in all regional and international conferences and events at all levels in support of efforts to help Sudanese people, including the May 2 virtual ministerial session on the humanitarian situation in the Republic of Sudan, organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
During this session, HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari affirmed the State of Qatar’s keenness to support international efforts, including those of the WHO, that would alleviate the suffering of civilians, and provide a rapid response to the growing humanitarian needs in Sudan, including those in the medical sector.
Under the directives of its wise leadership, the State of Qatar has affirmed in various situations and occasions its commitment to contribute to international efforts aimed at alleviating human suffering without discrimination, addressing other challenges facing humanity, and advancing the implementation of its 2030 sustainable development plan.
The State of Qatar also shares the world in marking the International Human Solidarity Day, which falls on Dec. 20 each year, as a leading country that provides worldwide humanitarian and development assistance, whether at the bilateral level or through the UN.
Source: Qatar News Agency
