Egypt sends 20 tons of humanitarian aid to South Sudan

CAIRO – 2 March 2017: Egypt dispatched medical aid and food supplies to South Soudan on board a military plane Thursday, according to

a statement

published by Col. Tamer al-Refaei, the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson.


The aid was sent by order of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense Sedki Sobhi.


The aid “offered from the Egyptian people to the state of South Sudan” reflects “Egypt’s effective role towards its brothers in offering support and collaboration at times of crisis,” the statement said.


Newspapers in Juba, the capital of South Sudan praised the Egyptian aid, saying “it reflects the depth of relations between the people of the two countries in different fields,”

Youm7 reported

.


The aid includes 20 tons of medical, pharmaceutical and nutritional supplies. It is the first international assistance to reach South Sudan since the government declared a famine in some of its states in late February.


Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir previously

accused Cairo of aiding South Sudan

with weapons and ammunition, which was denied by the South Sudanese government in an official statement on Feb. 24. The statement said Egyptian support was limited to humanitarian aid.