A military cargo plane took off on Monday from an airbase east of Cairo heading for Juba, South Sudan, and carrying large quantities of medical and humanitarian aid, read a statement by the Egyptian armed forces.
The aid, which was sent in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent, aims at mitigating the burden of the people in South Sudan, a statement published by the spokesman of the armed forces said.
“The decision to send relief supplies to Juba came in implementation of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s directives to show solidarity with South Sudan and to reaffirm the depth of bilateral ties,” read the statement.
It noted that the move emanates from Egypt’s pioneering humanitarian role and sincere desire to stand by its fellow African countries during times of need.
In October, Sisi met with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit and agreed on the importance of pushing forward and expanding bilateral cooperation in all fields.
They also discussed means of strengthening and developing bilateral ties at various political, economic and security levels.
Sisi pointed then to their decision to bolster bilateral trade exchange and Egyptian investments in South Sudan, and to facilitate the entry of Egyptian goods and intensify cooperation in the field of capacity-building through training programs provided by Egypt.
They agreed to also increase the number of Egyptian educational grants offered to South Sudanese students to study in Egyptian universities and refurbish Egyptian power stations in South Sudan.
