Emirates sends medical aid to Jubaland, Somalia, to fight COVID-19

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) dispatched a cargo plane on Wednesday to cooperate with 7 tonnes of medical supplies to Jubaland, southern Somalia's autonomous region, to strengthen Somali national efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions of diagnosed cases worldwide.  

This medical assistance package will help approximately 7,000 medical professionals in their work to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Commenting on this humanitarian support, Mohamed Ahmed Othman al-Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to Somalia, said: "The medical assistance sent to Jubaland, Somalia today affirms the UAE leadership's keenness to support international efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus, particularly in African countries. This aid also aims to provide urgently needed medical supplies to thousands of medical professionals treating Somali patients and confronting the pandemic," the Emirati diplomat said in a statement released by the official WAM news agency.

The UAE had previously sent an aid plane with 27 tonnes of medical supplies to Somalia on April 14, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The aid contained 7 tonnes provided by the Gulf country and 20 tonnes offered by the international organization, benefiting more than 27,000 health workers to boost efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.  

So far, the United Arab Emirates has responded to the global health crisis of COVID-19 by providing more than 963 tons of aid to 68 countries, which have supported more than 963,000 medical professionals in the process of fighting the pandemic. An operation that includes African nations such as Somalia, Ghana and Burkina Faso, placing the Arab nation at the forefront of humanitarian assistance in the world to offer collaboration in the international struggle against the pandemic that is hitting the entire planet. This cooperation has taken place with all kinds of nations, from the smallest or neediest to major international powers such as the United Kingdom, the United States and China.