A massive cargo plane carrying parts of a field hospital touched down in Ghana on Thursday in support of a UN mission to protect aid workers from the coronavirus in West Africa.
A video posted by David Beasley, director of the UN’s World Food Programme, showed crucial supplies being offloaded from the C-17 Globemaster, which has been given to the pandemic relief effort by the UAE.
Mr Beasley said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, had been supportive of his call for an "air bridge" of humanitarian assistance between WFP's regional hub and struggling African nations. "I picked up the phone and called His Highness, saying, 'brother, we need help. People are suffering," Mr Beasley said. "This in-kind contribution will save many, many lives. He did not blink an eye, and immediately said we will help.
"People of the UAE and the leadership, Mohamed bin Zayed, my dear brother, thank you for the kindness of your heart to help people save lives!"
The UAE is working in partnership with WFP to establish an international air bridge operation that will provide a lifeline of essential health and humanitarian supplies to nations around the world grappling with the impact of Covid-19.
The UAE has dedicated a fleet of three aircraft to enable the movement of life-saving cargo and personnel until the end of the year. Dwarfed by the cavernous opening of the aircraft’s cargo bay, Mr Beasley thanked the UAE government, donors and the Ghanaian government in Accra for their help in setting up a regional hospital to help fight the pandemic.
He said “special thanks” were reserved for the UAE government for providing the aircraft.
“This piece of equipment, this C-17, is a result of the kindness of the UAE,” Mr Beasley said.
The WFP could begin its life-saving work in the region “because of the generosity of our donors”, he said.
“This is going to be a regional hub, not just for the field hospital but also passengers and air cargo, so that we can provide supplies all over western Africa,” Mr Beasley said.
This month he warned up to 300,000 people could starve to death every day if the coronavirus crisis broke food supply chains.
Because of the pandemic, 2020 could be remembered as the deadliest year for humanity since the Second World War, Mr Beasley said.
The C-17, made by Boeing in the United States, is a transport aircraft used by militaries around the world, including the UAE Armed Forces, Britain’s Royal Air Force and the US Air Force.
In service since the mid-1990s, the four-engine aircraft can take off with more than 77 tonnes of cargo.
In 2007, its cost was about $218 million (Dh800m).
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Coronavirus around the world
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A health worker takes a swab from a woman during a mass testing in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters -
A woman reacts during a mass burial of people who passed away due to the coronavirus, at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil. Reuters -
Mariette, a resident of the Christalain residence gets prepared by caregivers before the arrival of her daughter Patricia for a visit at Residence Christalain in Brussels, Belgium. EPA -
Traders wearing masks work, on the first day of in person trading since the closure during the outbreak of the coronavirus on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Reuters -
Rusia Goes, a nurse who gave birth on April 26 hooked to a ventilator tube to help her breath as she battled severe symptoms of Covid-19, carries her daughter Luisa, after she was released from the hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters -
Passengers wearing protective masks get off a subway train at Shibuya station in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters -
People enjoy the sun at Carcavelos beach in Cascais in the outskirts of Lisbon as temperatures rise and the Portuguese government loosens a lockdown put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. AFP -
People get free Covid-19 tests without needing to show ID, doctor's note or symptoms, at a drive-through and walk up Coronavirus testing centre located at Barcroft Community Centre in the Arlington zip code with the highest concentration of Coronavirus cases, in Arlington, Virginia. AFP -
The Kuwait-flagged live export ship 'Al Kuwait' moors in Fremantle, Australia. The ship arrived in Fremantle from the UAE on May 22 and six crew members have tested positive for coronavirus. They have been moved off the ship to a Perth hotel for quarantine. EPA -
Two women wearing the face masks look at a piece as part of the exhibition of British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner 'Turner - Paintings and watercolours from the Tate' at the Jacquemart-Andre Museum on the first day of the reopening in Paris. AFP -
Diane Colangelo, who lost her mother, Patricia Crump to Covid-19, on May 6 is comforted by her husband John Colangelo at Orchard Villa Retirement Residence where several residents died of the coronavirus, in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Reuters -
Harpist and cemetery worker Charlie Juarez performs while Gregoria Zumaeta, 44, left, mourns the death of her brothers Jorge Zumaeta, 50, and Miguel Zumaeta, 54, who died from Covid-19, at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. AP Photo
