The United Arab Emirates on Saturday sent an aid plane with nine tonnes of medical supplies, COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators, vaccines doses to Rwanda to support the country's fight against the pandemic.

Responding to the aid, Hazza Mohammed Kharsan Al Qahtani, UAE Ambassador to Rwanda, expressed gratitude to the UAE's leadership for their humanitarian assistance to countries across the world to support their efforts aimed at controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

He further lauded the friendly and strong relations between the UAE and Rwanda that continue to grow across key sectors. The UAE and Rwanda have furthered their cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including economy, commerce and investment.

"Rwanda was among the first countries to receive medical aid from the UAE to combat COVID-19," Al Qahtani added.

In June 2020, the UAE had sent an aid plane to Rwanda consisting of four tonnes of medical supplies to assist over 4,000 healthcare workers in their efforts to protect infected cases in the country. Furthermore, in February 2021, the UAE sent a shipment with 7.8 tonnes of medical aid to support the Rwandan government's efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

To date, the UAE has sent more than 2,200 tonnes of medical aid to over 135 countries in line with its humanitarian efforts against the COVID-19 crisis. This medical aid has helped thousands of healthcare workers across the world in the process. 

WAM