UAE President orders aid airlift to Sudan

Power grids, houses, public utilities and infrastructure have been severely damaged

President Sheikh Khalifa ordered an aid airlift to Sudan to deliver relief items to communities affected by torrential rains and flash flooding.

Khartoum, the capital, is among several areas of the country that have experienced unprecedented rain that left at least 23 dead and left thousands homeless in the past few weeks.

The flooding destroyed power grids, houses and seriously damaged public utilities and infrastructure, reported state news agency Wam.

Emirates Red Crescent recently carried out an emergency relief operation to the flood-stricken households in Sudan, providing them with essential shelter material and food rations.

Monsoon rains in Sudan regularly last from June to November and cause the Nile and its tributaries to overflow.

The aid comes a day after Sheikh Khalifa formed an emergency committee to organise relief assistance to the Indian state of Kerala following devastation caused by floods.

The committee will be chaired by the Emirates Red Crescent and include representatives from the UAE's humanitarian organisations. The committee will also seek the help of the Indians in the UAE.

The UAE was the world's largest donor of official development aid last year, relative to its national income, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development .

With a total contribution of Dh19.32 billion of developmental aid in 2017, the UAE spent 1.31 per cent of its gross national income on foreign developmental aid - almost twice the global target of 0.7 per cent set by the United Nations.

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UAE is world's top donor of development aid in 2017, report shows