The Emirates Red Crescent has provided support to two million Sudanese. Reuters
The Emirates Red Crescent has provided support to two million Sudanese. Reuters

Emirates Red Crescent helps two million Sudanese



The Emirates Red Crescent helped two million Sudanese people struggling with drought and illness over the past year, the organisation said on Sunday.

The humanitarian organisation runs a range of relief programmes, seasonal projects and aid campaigns in the African country. It intensified its Sudan efforts during the Year of Zayed which commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the birth of the UAE’s Founding President, Sheikh Zayed.

This summer, the Emirates Red Crescent sent two convoys of life-saving aid to the flood-hit central states of Gezira and Sennar. June's torrential rains and flash flooding affected more than 70,000 people.

A medical convoy took supplies, pesticides and sprays to Kassala state in eastern Sudan where mosquitoes spread fever throughout the region.

The Red Crescent's work in Sudan is co-ordinated through the UAE embassy in Khartoum with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Sudanese Red Crescent and the World Health Organisation.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, took a personal interest in monitoring the Sudan situation, according to the organisation’s secretary general, Dr Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi.

The Emirates Red Crescent prioritised Sudan and is supporting its people in facing their exceptional conditions, Dr Al Falahi said.

The secretary general of the Sudanese Red Crescent, Othman Jaafar, said the UAE was among the first responders after this year's flooding.

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Read more:

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South Sudan's civil war has caused 400,000 deaths

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

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Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”

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Four stars