Salva Kiir praises UAE Humanitarian efforts in South Sudan
May 24, 2008 (JUBA) — Sudanese First Vice-President and Southern Sudan government president Salva Kiir Mayardit, praised United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the humanitarian and medical assistances it has given to southern Sudanese.
During a meeting today at his office in Juba with a delegation of the Emirati Red Crescent, Salva Kiir expressed his appreciation of the many initiatives put forward by the UAE towards the Sudanese people in general and southern Sudan in particular.
Salva Kiir said that the UAE concern about the humanitarian situation in the south back for several decades ago.
He pointing in this regard to the historical visit paid by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to Southern Sudan in the 1970s.
The First Vice-President underlined that during his recent visit during last March to Abu Dhabi he felt the determination of UAE leadership to step up efforts to improve the humanitarian conditions in South Sudan through provision of basic needs and building of infrastructure.
The delegation, which is currently in southern Sudan to implement a number of humanitarian tasks, informed Salva Kiir about the details of their mission in the state of Bahr al-Jabal. Also the head of the delegation explained the programme of relief and medical campaign being carried out now in southern Sudan.
The Red Crescent activities in the south include a humanitarian aspect including basic needs of food, shelter materials and childhood supplies in addition to medical activity, which includes a campaign to combat blindness and eye diseases as well as a team specialized in bone surgery for the landmine victims. The medical team operates in Juba Hospital.
In a related development, Luca Biong the Southern Sudan Presidential affairs minister received today the second Emirati relief plane carrying foodstuffs, medicines and miscellaneous medical supplies.
The UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged during a meeting with the Southern Sudan president on March 22, 2008 to provide humanitarian aide, to contribute to build the economic infrastructures as well as to invest in southern Sudan.
(ST)