(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
More than two months have passed since the outbreak of clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which led to increasing sufferings of civilians amid severe shortage of services, food and medical materials, and terrible security chaos. The numbers of casualties and displaced persons from the war have doubled, amid severe material losses in the capital, Khartoum and beyond, especially in West Darfur state.
Based on its humanitarian and moral role and its commitment to its responsibility as an active partner in the international community, the State of Qatar is always keen to play a leading role in providing humanitarian and development assistance, and in this context it continues its generous and unremitting efforts to contain crises in brotherly and friendly countries. In this regard, it gives unrelenting assistance to the afflicted peoples without discrimination by operating air bridges to transport hundreds or even thousands of tons of relief aid, in response to emergency and urgent conditions.
In this context, the State of Qatar had announced, under the generous directives of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the operation of an air bridge to support Sudanese people with food and medical aid, a move that affirmed the permanent support of Qatar's leadership and people for the Sudanese people amid their aggravated humanitarian situation.
This Qatari medical and humanitarian aid to Sudanese people was also accompanied by the evacuation of 1,784 Sudanese people who have Qatari residency aboard Qatari airplanes. The total aid provided by the Qatar Red Crescent and Qatar Charity in partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development amounted to 301 tons.
In this context, Adviser to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said on June 6, in the weekly media briefing organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the Qatari air bridge has continued since the start of the fighting in Sudan to provide medical aid. On June 6, the 10th plane took off to the city of Port Sudan, carrying 37 tons of foodstuffs. It also evacuated 164 people who have Qatari residency, most of them Sudanese, bringing the total of those evacuated from Sudan until that time to 1,784 residents. He added that the total aid reached 301 tons, stressing that the air bridge flights would continue in the coming days.
The State of Qatar will also chair a high-level conference on Monday in Geneva to support the humanitarian response plan in Sudan and the region, along with the UN, Egypt, Germany and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the EU.
In addition to this important humanitarian event, Qatar has extensive bilateral or multilateral humanitarian partnerships with many countries, organizations and specialized and relevant UN agencies, some of which come within the framework of Qatar's strategic dialogues with world countries. Since 2010, Qatar has established itself as a pioneer in the humanitarian work at the international level.
Since the outbreak of the crisis in Sudan, Qatar has been keen to participate in all regional and international conferences and events at all levels in support of efforts to help Sudanese people, including the May 2 virtual ministerial session on the humanitarian situation in the Republic of Sudan, organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
During this session, HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari affirmed the State of Qatar's keenness to support international efforts, including those of the WHO, that would alleviate the suffering of civilians, and provide a rapid response to the growing humanitarian needs in Sudan, including those in the medical sector.
Under the directives of its wise leadership, the State of Qatar has affirmed in various situations and occasions its commitment to contribute to international efforts aimed at alleviating human suffering without discrimination, addressing other challenges facing humanity, and advancing the implementation of its 2030 sustainable development plan.
The State of Qatar also shares the world in marking the International Human Solidarity Day, which falls on Dec. 20 each year, as a leading country that provides worldwide humanitarian and development assistance, whether at the bilateral level or through the UN.
In addition, the State of Qatar is among the top ten contributors to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and it is a strategic partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which has an office in Doha.
The growing humanitarian role of the State of Qatar covered various fields, as Qatar launched, in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, a humanitarian initiative entitled the“FIFA Qatar 2022 for All: Sharing the Joy of Refugees and Displaced Persons,” where areas for fans were opened inside refugee and displaced camps in a number of countries, including Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Sudan, Somalia, northern Syria and Kenya, to give them the opportunity to watch the matches and enjoy the various World Cup events through large screens, while preparing sites for holding tournaments that simulate the World Cup, as well as organizing cultural, educational and entertainment activities and programs aimed at To harness sport to promote peace and contribute to alleviating the suffering of refugees in light of the difficult humanitarian, social and psychological conditions they live in.
A number of officials and participants in the 47th Session of the General Assembly Meeting of the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization praised the State of Qatar's remarkable role in humanitarian work, with Qatar having a permanent and immediate response to the needs of sisterly and friendly countries around the world in efforts to mitigate the repercussions of crises and disasters.
In this regard, Secretary-General of ARCO H E Dr. Saleh bin Hamad Al Tuwaijri said that the Arab region is witnessing many conflicts and natural disasters, with the Arab region not yet fully recovered from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting infrastructure, low standard of living, and increasing cases of internal displacement and asylum abroad.