VIDEO: UAE sends 51 metric tonnes of urgent aid to Congo

The UAE sent a plane carrying 51 metric tonnes of emergency relief and food supplies to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to alleviate the humanitarian impact on approximately 450,000 displaced people, especially women and children, affected by the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano near Goma.

Hazza Mohammed Al Qahtani, UAE Ambassador to Rwanda and Non-Resident Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said that the delivery of relief supplies came as part of the support to mitigate the humanitarian impact and damage caused by the eruption, particularly in light of the health, social, and economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also expressed the UAE's solidarity with Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the government and people of the friendly Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ambassador Al Qahtani noted that the Democratic Republic of the Congo was one of the first countries to receive UAE aid to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, as the UAE sent a plane carrying 6.4 metric tonnes of urgent medical supplies in May 2020 to help more than 7,000 healthcare workers contain the virus.

The UAE has provided assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the development and humanitarian sectors, including education, health during humanitarian emergencies, social services, and basic drinking water supplies.