The UAE has sent aid to help hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes in a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
An aircraft left the Emirates on Monday carrying 93 tonnes of aid such as water purification kits, after 51 tonnes of emergency relief and food was sent to the DRC on Sunday.
The aid has been sent to support those affected by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo near the eastern city of Goma on May 22. Dozens of people died in the disaster.
About 450,000 people have been displaced and more than 500,000 left without access to clean drinking water.
Ilir Caushaj, head of the Global Fleet and Logistics Hub in Dubai, said blankets, shelter toolkits, kitchen sets, personal protection equipment and mosquito nets were among the items sent “to alleviate the suffering of affected people”.
Hazza Al Qahtani, the UAE's ambassador to Rwanda and non-resident ambassador to the DRC, said the aid would help to mitigate the humanitarian effect and damage caused by the eruption, particularly "in light of the health, social and economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic".
The volcano previously erupted in 2002, killing nearly 250 people and destroying about a fifth of Goma.
There are six volcanoes in the region, two of which are highly active.
The DRC was one of the first countries to receive UAE aid to tackle the pandemic.
It received 6.4 tonnes of urgent medical supplies in May last year to help more than 7,000 healthcare workers.
The UAE has provided assistance in the past to support the education and health of people in the DRC during humanitarian emergencies.
The Emirates has also supported social services in the African nation and helped to provide drinking water to thousands.
Displaced people from Goma waiting to get home - in pictures
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Displaced people who fled Goma on a bus in Sake. They are seen with their belongings, waiting to be taken home. All photos by AFP -
People aboard a truck in Sake with their belongings, waiting to be taken to home. -
Two elderly people sitting on the roadside in Sake. -
Valentine Kazingufu resettles with her family in her brother's home in the Majengo neighbourhood of Goma. -
Displaced people who fled Goma after the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano climb aboard a truck in Sake. -
A ranger from the Virunga National Park climbs the slopes of the Nyiragongo volcano. -
Congolese volcanologists and rangers from the Virunga National Park climb down the slopes of the Nyiragongo volcano. -
A Virunga National Park ranger stands at the campsite atop Nyiragongo volcano. -
Congolese volcanologists take temperature readings atop Nyiragongo volcano. .
