Mohamed Salem Al Rashedi, UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, said, "The UAE has a strong relationship with Ethiopia, and this assistance is part of the directives of the UAE's wise leadership to provide humanitarian and development assistance to brotherly and friendly peoples."
"The UAE is working to support the humanitarian and development situation in Ethiopia's Tigray region, which is suffering from the impact of war and the spread of COVID-19," he added. Moreover, Al Rashedi underscored the UAE's commitment to a humanitarian approach that extends emergency relief to countries in need and the support of the UAE's leadership to the people of Ethiopia and other peoples of the world to overcome humanitarian crises.
The UAE has pledged AED 18.3 million (US$5 million) to support displaced people on the Ethiopian-Sudanese border in cooperation with the World Food Programme and other international organisations. Furthermore, it has sent six aircraft carrying nearly 300 metric tons of relief supplies through the International Humanitarian City in Dubai and its international partners.
The UAE has provided Ethiopia with 18.5 metric tons of medical supplies as part of its global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supported WHO efforts in Ethiopia to deliver 15 metric tons of medical assistance. The UAE also contributed to WFP efforts by transporting a field hospital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients from Norway to Ethiopia.