A plane carrying 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid left Liège Airport on Monday evening for the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is grappling with a new Ebola outbreak.
The cargo includes medicines, protective gear, infection control materials, tents, and equipment for healthcare teams responding to the crisis.
Earlier this week, the European Commission allocated an additional €15 million in humanitarian aid to Congo and Uganda to support relief efforts.
The Commission arranged the flight, which will make a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, before arriving on Tuesday in Ituri Province in the east of the DRC.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says there is no vaccine or targeted treatment available against the Ebola virus. “It is therefore essential to limit its spread as much as possible,” UNICEF’s Bertrand Bainvel stresses.
Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, attended the send-off of the relief supplies in Liege on Monday evening.
She emphasised the importance of EU solidarity. “This epidemic poses a national and regional danger and deserves full international attention,” Lahbib said.
