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Zimbabwe

UAE relief aircraft arrives in Harare in support of cyclone-hit victims

HARARE, 24th March, 2019 (WAM) -- A UAE aircraft laden with sizeable quantities of relief aid has arrived in Harare in support of the victims of the tropical cyclone Idai which hit Zimbabwe recently.

Operated by the Emirates Red Crescent, the plane carries food stuffs and nutritional supplements to children as well as shelter supplies for thousands of people across the areas that have been hard hit by the massive disaster.

The aid comes in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, to stand by the African countries hit by the cyclone, which include Mozambique and Malawi.

The move falls within the context of the UAE humanitarian and developmental aid, which forms the mainstay of the country's foreign policy.

The ERC delegation accompanying the aircraft is following the execution of the surge plan which has been developed to secure the largest possible level of support for the victims and widening the base of beneficiaries from the aid, which includes essential supplies to meet the needs of victims for the time being.

Zimbabwe is currently facing a double humanitarian crisis due to the scarcity of food staples as a result of the drought which resulted in an acute food crisis, in addition to the repercussions of the cyclone which wrecked the country's infrastructure and left masses of people missing and displaced.

WAM/Hatem Mohamed/Hassan Bashir