Aid for Rohingya refugees on its way
Vice President’s order steps up relief flights for Muslims fleeing persecution
An aid flight for Rohingya refugees left Dubai on Monday and three more are planned for next week as efforts increase to provide relief for the group as it flees persecution in Myanmar. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the creation of a vital link to ensure food and supplies get through.
The flights from International Humanitarian City support the emergency efforts of UN and NGO organisations.
The latest was on Monday and additional relief flights have been scheduled for October 11, 13, and 15.
To date, more than 270 tonnes of aid have been delivered to Bangladesh, with more to follow. Sheikh Mohammed also sanctioned the use of his private 747 with additional C130s and 757s as needed.
He ordered two Boeing 747 airlifts to Bangladesh on September 12 and 26 to deliver humanitarian supplies provided by the UN Refugee Agency. The flights took family tents to provide shelter to 8,355 refugees from 1,671 families, and 24,670 tarpaulins for 123,350 people.
The new wave of relief flights will be loaded with hundreds of tonnes of core relief items, food and non-food, made available by UNHCR, the UAE Red Crescent, the Red Cross, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the International Organisation for Migration and World Health Organisation through the United Nations humanitarian response depot in Dubai.
The value of the relief supplies sent through the three shipments co-ordinated by IHC so far is US$1.2 million (Dh4.4m).
Earlier yesterday, Emirates airline, the Airbus Foundation and the German NGO Welthungerhilfe joined forces to bring emergency items from Hamburg to the humanitarian response depot in Dubai.
The goodwill flight was part of the co-operation between Emirates airline and the Airbus Foundation, which was created in 2013 to utilise A380 Emirates flights to transport humanitarian aid to the UNHRD. Since the start of the co-operation, 125 tonnes of goods have been transported.
This week, an aircraft flew in more than 1,000 tarpaulins, enough to provide shelter for about 500 families.
Till Wahnbaeck, chief executive director of Welthungerhilfe, said: “Our successful response to emergency situations relies on strong and reliable partners and professional preparation. This flight is an example how different partners can make a difference to save lives in emergency assistance.”
The last time the IHC had an air bridge was for Gaza in 2014 after an Israeli bombardment ravaged the city. Response time was less than 36 hours.