His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, has approved an emergency aid flight to support UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, who are assisting the victims of the devastating floods which have impacted various regions of Sudan and South Sudan.

The aid flight, an Emirates Sky Cargo B777F, carrying approximately 100 metric tons of core relief items, stored at UNHCR’s Global Stockpile in Dubai hosted by the International Humanitarian City (IHC), left Dubai International Airport yesterday afternoon and arrived in Khartoum after four hours.

An estimated 125,000 refugees, internally displaced people and locals have been affected by the flooding which severely damaged and destroyed homes, infrastructure and left many people without shelter, in East Sudan, White Nile and Darfur, in addition to the capital Khartoum and Omdurman.

H.E Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Supervision of the IHC said: “Following the approval for an aid flight from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, the IHC has been working with the UNHCR to ensure that these life-saving supplies get to those who are suffering as quickly as possible. This response from the UNHCR in partnership with the IHC is a prime example of the driving purpose behind His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for the International Humanitarian City, to provide the aid agencies with the logistical support they need.”

“In the aftermath of the heavy seasonal rains and the floods, the situation in various parts of Sudan is deeply saddening especially with tens of thousands of people in desperate need of shelter, including refugees and internally displaced Sudanese people. We are very grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, the Ruler of Dubai, the UAE government and the International Humanitarian City for supporting our efforts in responding to this urgent need by covering the transportation expenses to send much needed relief items.” said Nadia Jbour, UNHCR Head of Office in the United Arab Emirates.

She added: “Even before the recent floods, UNHCR’s operations in Sudan were severely underfunded, making today’s support by UAE more critical, and we urge the international community to come forward with further humanitarian life-saving support to displaced communities in Sudan.”

In response to the ongoing emergency, urgent assistance in the form of emergency shelter and other non-food-items are required, as the numbers of those affected will likely rise as the rainy season continues in Sudan.