UAE delivers food aid to Sudanese refugees in Chad

Humanitarian initiative aims to support those forced to flee conflict in their home country

UAE aid workers distribute vital food supplies for Sudanese refugees and the local community in the city of Amdjarass in Chad. Wam

An Emirati humanitarian task force is delivering crucial food supplies to Sudanese refugees in Chad who fled their war-torn homeland.

A delegation led by the Emirates Red Crescent, the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation and the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation is lending vital support to communities in the Central African country, which has welcomed huge numbers of people from neighbouring Sudan in recent months.

Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese people have crossed the border to Chad to seek sanctuary from fierce fighting which first broke out in April.

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are engaged in a bitter power struggle which has developed into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with hundreds of confirmed deaths and the displacement of millions.

The relief teams are distributing food parcels to both embattled Sudanese refugees and residents in the city of Amdjarass, in Chad, in co-ordination with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

They are assessing the needs of refugees and the local community through field visits to help boost living conditions under the initiative launched this week.

Dr Ahmed Al Dhaheri, head of the ERC Delegation in Chad, said the assistance was aimed to "alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese refugees", in remarks carried by state news agency Wam on Sunday.

He said the UAE would work with local relief agencies to deliver support to the largest number of people possible.

Key UAE support

The UAE opened a field hospital in Amdjarass on July 9 as part of its efforts to bolster health services battling to treat a huge influx of refugees.

The facility, opened under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed, treated more than 1,200 refugees in its first days.

It is focused on cases involving women, children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.

Since the conflict started on April 15, the UAE has operated an air and sea bridge to the region, transporting nearly 2,000 tonnes of medical, food and relief materials to Port Sudan and Chad.

Attempts to secure a peaceful resolution to the three-month war have so far been unsuccessful.