His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has ordered the airlift of additional humanitarian aid to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh fleeing the violence in Myanmar.
The order supports the efforts of the humanitarian community in International Humanitarian City (IHC), in particular, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Three rotations of a B747 relief flight will be loaded with 300 tons of UNHCR’s emergency aid items, including core relief supplies such as tarpaulins, jerry cans, mosquito nets, sleeping mats, buckets, blankets, and kitchen sets, with the support of International Humanitarian City.
The three upcoming airlifts, coordinated through the IHC, will respond to the needs of nearly 7,620 refugee families who have fled to Bangladesh. The shipments are scheduled to reach Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on September 26, October 2, and October 11, 2017 respectively.
The airlift comes at a time of a massive new wave of displacement of Rohingya refugees fleeing the violence in Myanmar. The number of refugees who have reached Bangladesh since the end of August has edged close to half a million. Rohingya refugees have reached Bangladesh after making long harsh journeys to reach a safe haven, with many of them walking through jungles and mountainous terrain for several days. Thousands more are seeking to reach Bangladesh, braving risky voyages across the Bay of Bengal. The vast majority of refugees are women, including mothers with newborn babies, and families with children. They arrive in poor condition, exhausted, hungry and desperate for shelter.
"The plight of Rohingya is appalling and shocking," Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the Chairperson of IHC said. "We hope our contribution to these refugees will help to alleviate their suffering," Her Royal Highness added.
UNHCR’s Head of Office in the United Arab Emirates, Toby Harward praised the humanitarian response of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the IHC, saying: “We are grateful for the timely and generous support offered by His Highness, and the logistical support provided by the International Humanitarian City.” He further highlighted the need for this support as the refugee situation continues to worsen in Bangladesh: “With the number of refugees rapidly soaring, UNHCR is stepping up the delivery of humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees who are in desperate need of the most basic subsistence support.”
Two planes have already been dispatched with relief from UNHCR’s stockpiles in the International Humanitarian City in Dubai since the eruption of the latest wave of displacement of Rohingya last August. They transported core relief supplies, emergency shelter items, sleeping mats, blankets, and jerry-cans.
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