Sheikh Mohammed directs support for Sudanese stranded in UAE as third evacuation plane reaches Abu Dhabi

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the immediate support and follow-up of scores of Sudanese people stranded in the country owing to an ongoing conflict in Sudan, providing them with shelter and healthcare and ensuring their safe return at a later date.

Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

Deadly fighting erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Thousands of people are still trapped in their houses amid depleting supplies of food and water and frequent power cuts.

The people who managed to flee to safer parts of the country or neighbouring nations like Chad and South Sudan are also facing an imminent shortage of essential food supplies. The UAE, which is pursuing a neutral role in the conflict, on Tuesday sent a plane carrying urgent food supplies to Abeche Airport on Chad’s border with Sudan.

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The emergency humanitarian aid, delivered through the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) and the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, is expected to help alleviate the sufferings of thousands of refugees affected by the crisis. The UN estimates 334,000 people are internally displaced since April 15, while 100,000 Sudanese have already left the country.

More Aid Deliveries and Growing Peace Efforts

Earlier on Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammed ordered urgent humanitarian aid delivery to Sudan, consisting of food and ration parcels, via the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. Meanwhile, the UN says its $1.75 billion appeal for aid in Sudan is just 14% funded – implying it’s $1.5 billion short of reaching its target.

Since the conflict erupted, the UAE has constantly been monitoring the situation in Sudan while calling on all parties involved to engage in peaceful discussions. Other countries are also assisting in mediation efforts to end the violence. In an interview on Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi warned the crisis in Sudan could affect the entire region.