Sudan thanks Egypt for medical supplies to fight Covid-19

CAPE TOWN — Sudan's government has thanked the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi after it sent medical supplies to Khartoum to help its neighbour deal with its Covid-19 outbreak, Egyptian daily newspaper Ahram reported.

It said the vice president of the supreme committee for health emergencies in Sudan, Professor Siddig Tawer described the gesture as testimony to the strong relations between the two North African countries, as he received a convoy of four Egyptian army planes loaded with medical supplies at Khartoum International Airport.

Tawer said the Covid-19 pandemic had helped reveal the sincerity of "brother nations" and would serve as a true test of ties between the world's nations, as the globe grapples with the coronavirus which has now infected nearly 3.8 million people since being first reported in China in December.

Egyptian ambassador to Sudan, Hossam Essa said the supplies to Sudan included medical devices, oxygen measuring devices, masks, sterilisers and other items required to handle Covid-19.

Sudanese daily newspaper Alintibaha said Egypt's donation was an expression of president El Sisi’s appreciation of his country's neighbour.

The pandemic is seen as a key test for Sudan’s new transitional government which came into power only last year.

Covid-19 cases are gradually rising in Sudan; as of Tuesday, the country had reported 778 confirmed cases, with 45 people dying from the virus.

Last week the United Nations said it was concerned that Sudan’s new transitional government would not be able to handle the health crisis, saying its institutions and ailing health system were not equipped to grapple with an outbreak of this magnitude.