On 14 December, a transport of humanitarian aid set off from the Military Air Transport Base at Okęcie Airport to help civilian population afflicted by a great flood which hit 17 of the country’s 18 states. Poland is flying to Khartoum 6 tonnes of PLN 600,000 worth of medicines, including anti-malaria drugs and antibiotics, blankets, pyjamas, surgical gowns, towels and sheets.

Poles still remember the flood of the century which struck our country in 1997, causing enormous damage and killing a few dozen people. Poland’s aid is a gesture of solidarity with the Sudanese people at this difficult time - emphasised the deputy chief of Polish diplomacy.

The relief supplies will go to Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission, which will distribute them among flood victims.

Deputy Minister Jabłoński also stressed that such a large-scale relief effort would not have been possible without the support from the Material Reserves Agency and Polfa Tarchomin. He also thanked the Ministry of National Defence for its willingness to help transport the aid.

Assistance offered by Poland during the pandemic in 2020 has a wider dimension. Apart from responding to emergencies like the flood in Sudan or the explosion in Beirut’s port, we also sent teams of Polish doctors, nurses and paramedics from the Polish Center for International Aid to Italy, the US, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Ethiopia. To Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, we dispatched lorries carrying medical supplies. Poland’s assistance measures are an important part of our foreign policy pursued during the COVID-19 epidemic. They are also an important element of Polish development assistance and a tool for fulfilling our international commitments.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Office

Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA