Dubai: Dubai has sent 50 tonnes of core relief items to communities affected by a devastating landslide in Sierra Leone.
The aid air lift, delivered on an Airbus A330 aircraft, was ordered by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
More than 1,000 people were killed and 3,000 left homeless by a deadly mudslide, which swept away homes in and around Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, in August. Three days of heavy rains had led to devastating floods and a massive landslide.
The aid supplies were sent from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) stocks at the International Humanitarian City in Dubai (IHC) to bring relief to 5,000 people. Among the relief items on board were blankets, hygiene and kitchen kits, mosquito nets, and tarpaulins.
Returning from a field mission to Sierra Leone, Jagan Chapagain, IFRC’s undersecretary general for programmes and operations, paid a courtesy visit to Giuseppe Saba, CEO of IHC. Chapagain said survivors are “struggling to rebuild their lives and critical humanitarian support is still needed”. He also underlined the significant role the Dubai government is playing in the emergency humanitarian response on a global scale.
Chaired by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of Shaikh Mohammad, the IHC coordinated the flight with the support of its board of directors.
