Saudi Arabia operates relief air bridge to crisis-hit Sudan

The first plane carrying aid and medical equipment left Saudi Arabia Tuesday afternoon heading for crisis-hit Sudan as part on a relief air bridge operated by the Kingdom, Al Arabiya reported.

The military plane heading to Port Sudan is carrying 10 tonnes of medical equipment, shelter tents and other forms of relief for those internally displaced after being loaded at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, both Al Arabiya and Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya state television reported.

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Another plane carrying aid was also scheduled to leave for Sudan later in the day, al-Ekhbariya added.

First aid plane heading to Sudan from Saudi Arabia is being loaded. (Screengrab)

The air bridge is operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief).

Last month, clashes erupted due to a power struggle between Sudan’s army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who commands the regular army, and his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that the fighting has internally displaced 700,000 people.

KSrelief efforts came under the directives of Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who directed the organization on Sunday to provide $100 million worth of humanitarian aid to Sudan as well as to organize a donations campaign through “Sahem” platform.

The campaign has so far gathered over $300,000, the platform’s website shows.

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