DUBAI: United Arab Emirates (UAE) has set up an air bridge to provide relief supplies for the Rohingya refugees fleeing from the conflict in Myanmar, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.
The first relief flight took off on Monday, and the additional relief flights have been scheduled for Oct. 11, 13 and 15.
The shipments comprised family tents and tarpaulins to provide shelter to more than 8,000 refugees from 1,671 families.
To date, over 270 metric tonnes of aid have been delivered to Bangladesh, with more aid to follow.
Sheikh Mohammed has also sanctioned the use of his private airplane as needed.
The setting up of the air bridge was ordered by Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, which “reaffirms Dubai’s commitment to support the emergency efforts of UN and Non-Governmental Organizations,” the report said.
The relief flights will be loaded with hundreds of tons of core relief items, made available by UN and Non-Governmental Organizations including United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UAE Red Crescent, International Organization for Migration, and World Health Organization, through the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai.
He had previously ordered two Boeing 747 airlifts to Bangladesh on Sept. 12 and 26 to deliver substantial humanitarian supplies provided by the UN Refugee Agency, said the report.
Nearly half a million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in the past month amidst escalating violence and persecution.
