December 08, 2020: The International Humanitarian City (IHC) chartered two additional aircrafts, activating a humanitarian air bridge bringing aid to tens of thousands of refugees and displaced individuals fleeing Ethiopia to Sudan.

Emirates SkyCargo transported aid provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and stored within IHC warehouses in Dubai reached Ethiopia carrying 96 metric tonnes of medical supplies to aid an estimated 200,000 patients.

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Another Emirates SkyCargo aircraft left Dubai to Sudan, transporting 95 metric tonnes of relief and shelter aid provided by the IHC Community, including United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), World Food Programmes (WFP -UNHRD and Fittest) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF). These organisations are sending relief and shelter items stored within IHC warehouses in Dubai and are destined to assist the escalating humanitarian situation impacting the lives of about 40,000 Ethiopian refugees who are streaming into eastern Sudan.

During the past months of September and October 2020, IHC chartered several aircrafts carrying aid provided by the humanitarian community and stored at IHC warehouses in Dubai to support the Sudanese population affected by devastating floods.

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Robert Blanchard from the WHO’s logistics team in Dubai said, “In response to ongoing health needs in Ethiopia, the World Health Organization is immediately deploying 96 metric tonnes of medical supplies including life-saving malaria medicines, emergency health kits, cholera kits, and trauma and emergency surgery kits from its logistics hub located within the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, UAE. The medical supplies, valued at over $300,000, will cover an estimated 200,000 patients.”

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Mario Stephan, executive director of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) UAE office, said, “The Airbridge allows our organisation to get 17 cubic metres of crucially needed personal protection equipment (PPE) on the ground in Sudan.”