Khalifa orders treatment for wounded Somalis in Kenya

ABU DHABI, UAE: As per the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, several Somalis, who were wounded in the recent terrorist explosion in Mogadishu, were transported abroad to receive treatment.

The wounded Somalis, who were transported to Kenya, valued the UAE’s actions and its wise leadership and people while specifically praising the efforts of Sheikh Khalifa and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

A medical aircraft equipped with the latest medical tools and equipment transported the Somalis, who are suffering from serious injuries, to Kenya while accompanied by Emirati doctors, where they will receive treatment in some of the best Kenyan hospitals, under the supervision of an Emirati medical team from the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC).

The UAE is covering the cost of treating the wounded and providing them with medical care, to ease their suffering, help in their recovery, and provide them with comfort, along with their companions, during their stay.

Officials from the UAE Embassy in Somalia, the ERC and the local Ministry of Health saw them off and said goodbye to the wounded Somalis at Mogadishu International Airport.

The operation is part of the humanitarian initiative of Sheikh Khalifa to sponsor the treatment of 100 people who were wounded during the Mogadishu explosion, as well as to transport the most serious cases abroad to receive the necessary treatment, as an extension of the country’s humanitarian efforts, and to ease the suffering of Somalis and improve their humanitarian condition.

The second batch of wounded Somalis is expected to be sent for treatment abroad during the next few days, with support from the UAE, after the necessary arrangements have been completed.

Somali officials expressed their appreciation for the UAE’s initiative, to transport those wounded and injured to receive treatment abroad, and for its ongoing support for the Somali people while stressing that the initiative has eased the suffering of local people.

They also expressed their confidence that the wounded will receive all the necessary care and treatment, under the supervision of the ERC in Kenyan hospitals while hoping for the quick recovery of those wounded and their safe return to their families.

The wounded also expressed their happiness at being transported for treatment abroad at the expense of the UAE while asserting that the Somali people will not forget the UAE’s honorable humanitarian actions. They also prayed to Allah Almighty to keep the UAE’s leadership and people safe from harm and provide them with security, stability, and prosperity.

The UAE has proactively offered humanitarian support and assistance to the victims of the Mogadishu explosion, as well as urgent medical assistance that includes a considerable amount of medicine and medical equipment and supplies, to treat the wounded and support Somali hospitals in providing the required level of healthcare to those wounded.