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Egyptian Government Provides Masks With Ration Cards

A man wearing a protective face mask covers his head during a hot weather in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
A man wearing a protective face mask covers his head during a hot weather in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
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Egyptian Government Provides Masks With Ration Cards

A man wearing a protective face mask covers his head during a hot weather in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
A man wearing a protective face mask covers his head during a hot weather in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)

The Egyptian government will begin supplying about 64 million citizens with protective masks to help limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official statement.

Supply Minister Ali Mosseilhi said the masks will be offered at two per ration card, adding that 250,000 masks will be offered on 1 July and that this number will reach 19 million masks by the end of the month.

Mosseilhi explained that the set price of the masks was determined after careful consideration of several offers. The government negotiated with the supplier and they agreed on providing masks at the price of EGP8.5 for the end consumer.

However, the Egyptian minister indicated that other types of face masks will be supplied at a price range between EGP6 and EGP10, while ensuring quality is maintained.

He stressed that all masks meet the technical specifications as approved by the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality, which falls under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Meanwhile, Minister of Local Development, Major General Mahmoud Shaarawy met with Minister of Health Hala Zayed and the two discussed a plan to boost the efficiency of local health facilities.

Shaarawy announced that the ministry has compiled a list of needed medical devices and supplies for the health facilities to help them combat the pandemic.

He confirmed that the Upper Egypt Local Development Program (UELDP) has received $500 million in funding from the World Bank and a $457 million contribution from the Egyptian government.

He detailed that EGP120 million will be provided to support health facilities in Sohag and Qena, which will be used to help both governorates combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Zayed announced, in turn, that a technical committee has been formed to manage donations received by the Ministry of Health. She explained that this committee will determine expenses based on actual needs and will provide the best medical service for all patients.

She pointed out that the ministry provided hospitals that treat suspected coronavirus cases with 31 new CT scans and 700 artificial respirators.

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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The Red Cross raised alarm on Thursday at the growing use of drone attacks by warring parties on hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure in Sudan, which it said was contributing to widespread human rights violations.

Some 70-80% of hospitals in Sudan were not running and there were concerns cholera could surge due to damage caused by the war to water infrastructure, the International Committee of the Red Cross told reporters in Geneva.

"A recent drone attack stopped all the electricity provision in an area close to Khartoum, which means critical infrastructure is being damaged," said Patrick Youssef, the Red Cross's Regional Director for Africa, in a new report.

"There is a clear increased use of these technologies, drones - to be in the hands of everyone - which increases the impact on the local population and the intensity of attacks," Youssef said.

After two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, some people are returning to Khartoum after they were forced to flee when war broke out on April 15, 2023 amidst a ongoing power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a transition to civilian rule.

Some 12 million people have been displaced by the conflict since 2023.

"We have seen violations of the law left, right and center,” Youssef said, urging the warring parties to allow the Red Cross access so it can offer humanitarian support and document atrocities.

In March, aid groups told Reuters that the RSF had placed new constraints on aid deliveries to territories where it was seeking to cement its control. Aid groups have also accused the army of denying or hindering access to RSF-controlled areas.

Both sides in the conflict deny impeding aid.