CAIRO: A third Egyptian plane has transported bread-making facilities to Sudan as part of a relief air bridge following recent devastating floods in the country.
“Under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt has sent a third flight of field bread production lines to the brothers in Sudan,” an Egyptian military spokesman said via his official Facebook account.
The three flights landed in Khartoum on Tuesday and Thursday carrying 10 automatic bakeries.
Egyptian military attache Brig. Harb Ahmed Al-Shazali and Egyptian Embassy staff welcomed the planes.
Last Tuesday, the Ministry of Industry and Trade received the first batch of bread production units provided by the Egyptian army, which will be installed in southern areas of the capital.
The 10 bakeries will produce more than 1.5 million loaves of bread per day.
The production lines will ease the effects of flooding and the resulting shortage of bread in many areas of Sudan.
Field bakeries will be located in areas severely affected by the recent floods.
Since the beginning of the crisis, Egypt has sent several aid planes to support the Sudanese people.
“This matter comes within the framework of the cooperation and support that Egypt has been providing to address some of the challenges facing the transitional government in his country,” Sudan’s Trade Minister, Madani Abbas Madani, said after the first bakeries arrived.
He said that this support was desperately needed amid a mounting bread crisis.
“There are many strategic efforts to address this issue in its various aspects, whether it is related to the provision of wheat or the development of the bread industry, especially since more than 80 percent of the bakeries in the country are traditional and not mechanized,” Madani said.
Egypt’s Ambassador to Sudan, Hossam Issa, said that the air bridge is part of the Egyptian efforts to support the Sudanese people during the transitional phase in the country.
The Egyptian government is helping Sudan move toward a new phase of development, stability, prosperity and security, he said.
Egypt has sent 14 aircraft carrying medicines and medical equipment to help Sudan deal with the flood crisis.
