The United Arab Emirates sent a second aid plane on Thursday to Burkina Faso with 8 metric tonnes of medical aid and testing kits to help the country in its fight against coronavirus pandemic.

The aid is set to provide support to over 8000 medical professionals in the region who are fighting to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection in country of Burkina Faso.

Dr. Fahad Obaid Mohammed Al Taffaq, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria and Non-resident Ambassador to Burkina Faso said, “Based on the UAE’s leading and humanitarian role in providing assistance in times of crisis, and harnessing all possibilities to help African countries on the basis of mutual respect, an aid aircraft was sent today to Burkina Faso. The plane carrying urgent medical supplies is meant to help medical personnel do their best to combat the pandemic.”

He further added, “An aid plane was sent to Burkina Faso last June, under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and with the coordination and support of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, and the World Health Organization. The plane that carried about 100 tonnes of aid left the International Humanitarian City in Dubai to rescue hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people in Burkina Faso. This followed the UNHCR announcement of the need for assistance to protect and help more than 600,000 internally displaced persons, and coincided with World Refugee Day, which falls on the 20^th of June each year.”

UAE till date has provided aid of over 1087 metric tonnes to 73 countries to help in their fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, while supporting over 1 million medical professionals present in the countries in the process.     

 WAM