UAE opens field hospital in South Sudan
The UAE has opened a field hospital in South Sudan to help treat vulnerable communities most in need, state news Wam reported on Saturday. The Madhol Field Hospital in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal state of the country aims to support those facing challenges in accessing essential services, especially urgent health care and treatment. Wam said this was particularly significant amid health challenges such as the spread of malaria caused by insufficient medical services and inadequate access to medication. 'Today, as we celebrate with South Sudan and reap the benefits of our strong bilateral relations and deep-rooted values, we announce the inauguration of Madhol Field Hospital, which has a 100-bed capacity, and several specialised clinics to treat approximately two million people from the host community, South Sudanese returning from Sudan, and Sudanese refugees in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state,' said Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the opening. 'Since its founding, humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians, particularly the sick, children, the elderly, and women, have served as the foundation of the UAE's policy.' South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011. Civil war followed and a peace deal in 2018 has yet to be fully implemented. A civil war also broke out in Sudan in April, 2023. The UN has said last year that Sudan has been world's largest displacement crisis with at least 11 million displaced. The hospital is the third healthcare centre built by the UAE to provide medical services to Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries after two previous field hospitals that were opened in Amdjarass and Abeche, Chad. Sheikh Shakhbout said the UAE had been resolute in its position in relation to the crisis in neighbouring Sudan since April 2023. The country's primary focus remains on addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation and prioritising civilians, he said. Sheikh Shakhbout said the UAE was committed to supporting all efforts to address the crisis and to work alongside regional and international partners to ensure stability and peace for the Sudanese people. 'The UAE announced an additional US$200 million of aid during the High-Level Humanitarian Conference for the People of Sudan, held in Addis Ababa,' he said. Sheikh Shakhbout added the UAE had provided more than $600 million to support a humanitarian response and provided US$3.5 billion of humanitarian aid over the past 10 years to the people of Sudan. The opening of the hospital was attended by several ministers and officials from both the UAE and South Sudan, and international organisations. 'We express our appreciation to the UAE for its leading international humanitarian efforts in enhancing the healthcare sector in Africa, through several projects and initiatives,' said Dr Humphrey Karamagi, World Health Organisation Representative for South Sudan. Simon Uber Mawut, governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, said it was a 'historic day'. 'Today is the moment we have been waiting for, and we thank the UAE for constructing Madhol Field Hospital, which will aim to address health challenges in our region. Today is a historic day for the residents of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and the entire region.' The opening of the hospital came following the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed, and under the supervision of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
8 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Death toll in 20-month Gaza war crosses 55,000: Health officials
The Palestinian death toll from the 20-month Israel-Hamas war has climbed past 55,000, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the dead. It's a grim milestone in the war that began with Hamas' attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and shows no sign of ending. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the group of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas. The ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local medics. The Health Ministry is part of Gaza's Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records. Its tolls from previous conflicts have largely aligned with those of independent experts, though Israel has questioned the ministry's figures. Israeli forces have destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced about 90% of its population and in recent weeks have transformed more than half of the coastal territory into a military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah. A 2½-month blockade imposed by Israel when it ended a ceasefire with Hamas raised fears of famine and was slightly eased in May. The launch of a new Israeli- and US-backed aid system has been marred by chaos and violence, and the UN says it has struggled to bring in food because of Israeli restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, but the UN and aid groups deny there is any systematic diversion of aid. Hamas still hold 55 hostages - less than half of them believed to be alive - and control areas outside of military zones despite facing rare protests earlier this year. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more. Israel's military campaign, one of the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, has transformed large parts of cities into mounds of rubble. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in squalid tent camps and unused schools, and the health system has been gutted, even as it copes with waves of wounded from Israeli strikes. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal. It has offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying that Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of hostages. He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and most of the international community reject such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that could violate international law. Associated Press
Middle East Eye
11 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
At least 60 Palestinians killed by Israel while seeking aid in Gaza
At least 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israel while seeking food aid in Gaza, according to the health ministry. Most of the deaths on Wednesday took place as starving Palestinians approached a food distribution centre run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), near Netzarim in central Gaza. At least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded after Israeli forces opened fire. A further 14 people were killed by the Israelis as they were moving towards another GHF distribution site, in Rafah. The emergency department at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said it had admitted dozens of people in recent days who had been killed or wounded while waiting for aid. "Many Gazans went to the Nabulsi and Netzarim areas to receive aid and were shot at and shelled with tanks," said Mutaz Harara, the head of Al-Shifa's emergency department. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "Many patients died while waiting for their turn." Israel has accused Hamas of trying to "weaponise" the distribution of aid in Gaza. The GHF claimed a bus carrying its staff to a distribution site near the southern city of Khan Younis was "brutally attacked by Hamas" on Wednesday evening, killing at least five Palestinian aid workers. Gaza foundation is a humanitarian face to mask Israel's genocide Read More » The Palestinian Ministry of Telecommunications said on Thursday that phone and internet networks were cut across the entire Gaza Strip due to an "attack on the last remaining main fibre optic line" in the territory. Israel's attacks on aid-seeking Palestinians have provoked outcry from rights groups and foreign governments. Sweden's foreign minister said on Thursday that the starvation of civilians as a method of war was "a war crime". "Life-saving humanitarian help must never be politicised or militarised," Maria Malmer Stenergard said at a press conference. "There are strong indications right now that Israel is not living up to its commitments under international humanitarian law." In early June, UN human rights chief Volker Turk also said attacks on civilians around aid distribution sites in Gaza constituted "a war crime". More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as an act of 'genocide'.
Dubai Eye
a day ago
- Dubai Eye
Israeli fire kills 41 in Gaza, many near an aid site, medics say
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 41 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials said. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded. The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots overnight toward suspects who were advancing while posing a threat to the troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor. "This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review," it added. Later on Wednesday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip said at least six people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah further south, taking Wednesday's death toll to at least 41. A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1,000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations has condemned the killings. It said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers. The war erupted after Hamas-led fighters took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
