REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Government of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) flew aid to civilians who were victims of the Palestinian and Sudanese conflicts using Garuda Indonesia aircrafts from BaseOps SUMA 1 Lanud Halim Perdanakusuma Jakarta, Wednesday (3/4/2024) this morning.

Surveillance at BaseOps SUMA 1 Halim Perdanakusuma showed airport officials packing at least five aid containers containing medicines, medical equipment, antibacterial and nutritional food labeled “Humanitarian Aid From Indonesia to People of Sudan and Egypt” into the luggage of Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-900neo.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), accompanied by a number of ministers, announced the departure of humanitarian aid from all Indonesia with a total amount of one million US dollars in person this morning, at 7:30pm.

The delivery to Cairo Egypt will be headed by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (PMK) Muhadjir Effendy. As for the delegation to the Port of Sudan, it will be headed by the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lieutenant General Suharyanto.

Earlier BNPB Chief Suharyanto predicted the entire delegation would arrive in Cairo and Port of Sudan on Thursday, April 4, 2024 to hand over humanitarian aid as well as conduct some meeting activities with relevant authorities in Egypt and Sudan.

Assistance began when the Indonesian Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), received a diplomatic memorandum from Egypt and Sudan requesting humanitarian assistance for people there facing conflict and disease outbreaks. In the memorandum, the Egyptian Government expects the Indonesian Government's assistance in handling Palestinian refugees entering Egyptian territory, around Rafah Egypt (North Sinai Desert), as a result of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, Palestine.

As of March 2024, casualties of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip amounted to 32,333 dead (12,900 children and 8,400 women), 74,694 wounded and 8,100 missing. Following Israel's ground invasion of the North and Central Gaza areas, Gazans fled to the South Gaza - Rafah area which became the last safest area for them.

Currently in Rafah City, Egypt hosts more than 1.5 million Palestinian refugees. For this reason, the Egyptian Government sent a list of requests for assistance in the form of certain types of goods that are urgently needed in the refugees. The Government of Sudan also expects similar assistance to the Government of Indonesia for its people who are victims of internal government conflicts and outbreaks of cholera.

Sudan announced there were at least 2,525 suspected cases of diarrhoea or acute liquid cholera suffered by local people, requiring medical equipment. If it is not dealt with immediately, the number will increase even more.

On humanitarian grounds, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi revealed under President Jokowi's direction, the Indonesian Government will provide aid to Egypt and Sudan in the form of goods according to the list of requests submitted by each country, with the value of aid amounting to one million US dollars or about Rp 15 billion per country.

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