UAE signs $2 million deal to support healthcare in Sudan

Emirates International Aid Agency to co-operate with International Medical Corps

The conflict in Sudan has displaced at least 12 million people. AP

The UAE will contribute $2 million to support the provision of healthcare services in Sudan, it was announced on Wednesday.

It comes as the Emirates International Aid Agency has signed a co-operation agreement with the International Medical Corps in the UK.

The project will improve the speed of life-saving medical intervention and increase the capacity to respond to urgent health needs in areas most affected by war, state news agency Wam reported.

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The aim is to reduce disease and mortality rates, provide basic health services to the most vulnerable, distribute medicine and basic food supplies, and improve the living conditions of the displaced.

“The recent escalation in Sudan has called for urgent medical intervention, given that it has resulted in the displacement of more than 450,000 people, the majority of whom are female-headed households, in addition to unaccompanied children and survivors of violence,” Dr Tariq Ahmed Al Ameri, chairman of the Emirates International Aid Agency, said.

A brutal conflict

Tens of thousands have been killed in Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023. At least 12 million Sudanese have been displaced by the war, which has also created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 25 million people – half the country's population – facing hunger.

Since the outbreak of conflict, the UAE has allocated $784 million in humanitarian aid and urgent relief in support of the Sudanese people.

On Sunday, the UAE Aid Agency signed a co-operation agreement with the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to Sudan. It will provide a total of $15 million for the Protection and Assistance for People Affected by the Conflict in Sudan project, scheduled to run throughout next year.

And this week, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, outlined the UAE’s foreign policy in recent years, saying it had shaped the country’s view that the only solution to Sudan’s war is civilian rule.