Sudan Receives Humanitarian Aid to Fight COVID-19

The two planes carrying medical supplies and urgent humanitarian aid arrive at Khartoum Airport, where about 700,000 people will benefit from them. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
The two planes carrying medical supplies and urgent humanitarian aid arrive at Khartoum Airport, where about 700,000 people will benefit from them. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
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Sudan Receives Humanitarian Aid to Fight COVID-19

The two planes carrying medical supplies and urgent humanitarian aid arrive at Khartoum Airport, where about 700,000 people will benefit from them. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
The two planes carrying medical supplies and urgent humanitarian aid arrive at Khartoum Airport, where about 700,000 people will benefit from them. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic

The International Humanitarian City (IHC) chartered two aircraft rotations to transport the vital cargo from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Khartoum Airport.

The planes landed in Khartoum, carrying WHO supplies weighing 54 metric tons at a total value of AED3 million ($816,000), which is estimated to reach over 700,000 beneficiaries.

The WHO and IHC are dispatching emergency health kits, personnel protection equipment, laboratory tests and appropriate medical supplies stored within IHC premises.

The aim is to help Sudan ease challenges in detecting, preventing, and mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and providing treatments.

Chief Executive Officer of International Humanitarian City Giuseppe Saba said that "by supporting the emergency response of its member community, IHC’s efforts reflect Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision for assisting populations affected by natural disasters and complex emergencies.”

"IHC has been always together with its community and will continue to pro-actively support humanitarian actions and continue to serve communities in need.”

WHO Representative in Sudan Dr. Nima Abid said that "these supplies are a lifeline for people in need of health care in Sudan."

"Support from IHC has allowed us to deliver these supplies at a time when they are most needed, to make sure people have access to the health services they need and avoid unnecessary loss of lives.”

Abid further expressed that the WHO is grateful "to the United States Agency for International Development, the European Commission for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, the Sudan Humanitarian Response Fund, and WHO’s Central Emergency Response Fund, whose generous contributions allowed the procurement of these urgently-needed supplies.”



Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
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Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)

Qatar is ready to invest in Syria's energy sector and ports, the de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said after meeting a senior Qatari official in Damascus on Monday, as his new administration widened contacts with Arab states.

Sharaa also received Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, the first Arab foreign minister to visit Damascus since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago. Safadi said Jordan was ready to help Syria rebuild.

The meetings further widened the diplomatic contacts of the new administration established after Sharaa's HTS, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, led a decisive offensive that overthrew Assad after more than 13 years of war.

The end of Assad's rule has upended the geopolitics of the Middle East, dealing a major blow to his ally Iran and paving the way for other states to build new ties to a country at the crossroads of the region.

Türkiye, which long backed the Syrian opposition, was the first state to send its foreign minister to Damascus.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi flew into Damascus on Monday aboard the first Qatar Airways flight to land there since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa, speaking to reporters as he stood next to Khulaifi, said that they had discussed the challenges of the coming period, and that he had invited Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit Syria.

"The Qatari side expressed its readiness for wide investments in Syria in many sectors, chief amongst them the energy sector in which they have great experience ... as well as the ports and airports," Sharaa said.

Khulaifi said Qatar, the world's third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), would continue to "stand alongside our brothers in Syria at this time more than any other time".

"Syria and its people need support during this crucial phase which requires the concerted efforts of everyone, especially concerning the lifting of sanctions and the upcoming developmental projects," he said.

JORDAN WILL PROVIDE AID

Syria's stability is a key security concern for Jordan, which borders the country to the south.

Safadi said he agreed with Sharaa on cooperating to counter the smuggling of drugs and weapons from Syria to Jordan - a problem for years under Assad.

Safadi also noted that ISIS, with which Sharaa's group clashed earlier in the Syrian war, remained a threat.

"Our brothers in Syria also realize that this is a threat. God willing, we will all cooperate, not just Jordan and Syria, but all Arab countries and the international community, in fighting this scourge that poses a threat to everyone," he said.

"I focused on reconstruction efforts and Jordan will provide aid," Safadi said, adding that the new Syrian administration must have the opportunity to develop its plans.

There was no immediate statement from the Syrian side on the meeting.

Sharaa, who met senior US diplomats last week, severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.