Egypt has sent more than 197 tonnes of food and relief aid to both Sudan and South Sudan in coordination with Egyptian civil society organisations, the social solidarity minister said on Sunday, in the wake of devastating floods. Dozens of people have been killed in Sudan and South Sudan and hundreds of thousands displaced as the Nile reached its highest level in a hundred years. The NGOs that participated in the aid included the Egyptian Red Crescent, the Egyptian Food Bank, the Orman Association, El-Jamia El-Shareyah, Misr El-Kheir, El-Ber Wel Tawqa, Resala, and Dr. Mostafa Mahmoud Charity Association, the statement read. The 109-year old NGO Egyptian Red Crescent, which follows the standards of the International Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent, has sent an international relief team to South Sudan to distribute aid, in coordination with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society and South Sudan Red Cross, executive director Rami El-Nazer said. Another team transporting aid prepared by the ERC stayed in Sudan for three days to assess the situation and provide emergency relief to those afflicted, El-Nazer added. In the statement, Social Solidarity Minister Niveen El-Qabbag voiced solidarity with people of the two countries, saying that Egypt has always supported the people of fraternal nations during crises. The floods in Sudan have affected more than half a million people, destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes, and raised the risk of disease outbreaks, the UN said on Thursday. Due to the overflowing of the White Nile, around 5,000 people in South Sudan have been displaced and over a hundred have died, according to the South Sudanese state news agency. Egypt has sent several batches of aid to Sudan as part of an ongoing aid airlift operation launched upon the directive of President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi to help the Sudanese people deal with the disaster. In addition, Health Minister Hala Zayed travelled to Sudan on Tuesday to offer assistance, accompanied by a 20-strong team of doctors with different specialisms, as well as a number of nurses and experts in epidemic control.
