Egypt sends humanitarian aid to cyclone-hit Malawi

CAIRO - 16 May 2019: Egyptian Foreign Ministry prepared food and medical assistance to Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, after the huge cyclone, Idai, hit the three countries in March, killing dozens of citizens and damaging tens of thousands of houses.

An Egyptian plane carrying food, medical assistance and tents for shelter arrived on Wednesday in Malawi's capital of Lilongwe. Also, another plane carrying medical aid is set to reach Malawi on May 18.

Egyptian Ambassador to Malawi Hassan Shawki and other members of the embassy were present to receive the plane. Moreover, Malawi's Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi and a number of Malawian high-level officials were present.

The Egyptian aid comes within the framework of Egypt's commitment to support Malawi's people especially in times of crises and as part of Egypt's responsibility to support the efforts of both the government and the United Nations and help people affected by the cyclone, Shawki said.

The cyclone caused the death of around 60 Malawi citizens and displaced thousands others, Shawki said, reiterating the solidarity of Egypt's leadership, government and people with Malawi.

For his part, Dausi thanked Egypt on behalf of the president of Malawi for the country's continuous support for the development process in Malawi through sending experts and providing training courses in many vital fields.

He also affirmed his country's confidence in Egypt as the chairman of the African Union this year and in Egypt's ability to develop mechanisms to deal with the challenges facing the continent and to maintain the unity and integration of African stances.

Earlier in May, Egypt sent two military planes carrying humanitarian assistance to Mozambique's Maputo.