ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates on Thursday sent an aid plane containing 14 metric tons of medical supplies and testing kits to Sudan. The aid will assist approximately 14,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the virus.

Hamad Al-Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Sudan, said: "The brotherly Republic of Sudan was one of the first countries to receive UAE aid as part of its efforts to combat COVID-19. The first shipment of medical aid was sent last April and was followed by numerous other shipments over the past nine months comprising a total of 230 metric tons, with 130 of those metric tons provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development."

"Continuing to operate the UAE’s air bridge to Sudan affirms the strong and distinguished relations between both countries and the UAE’s keenness to support the health sector in Sudan and strengthen the government’s work by providing direct support to medical workers, including doctors and nurses, and offering equipment to combat the pandemic," he added.

To date, the UAE has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing over 1,661 metric tons of aid to 120 countries in need, supporting more than 1.6 million medical professionals in the process. —WAM