A ship carrying 2,955 tonnes of humanitarian aid, prepared under the leadership of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), has been dispatched from Mersin International Port to Sudan.
In coordination with AFAD and the Mersin Governorate, and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Red Crescent and 12 non-governmental organisations, a relief operation has been launched for Sudan.
The 2,955 tonnes of aid, including food, hygiene, shelter, and health materials, as well as generators, tents, and a mobile bakery, were loaded onto the ship named "Sea Horse" at the port.
Speaking at a farewell ceremony at the port on Monday, AFAD vice-president Hamza Tasdelen said they were sending the second aid ship to Sudan.
"Today we have gathered here to send almost 3,000 tonnes of aid. This includes some 18,500 tents, over 17,000 blankets and various shelter materials, 1,000 tonnes of flour and nearly 500 tonnes of food packages," he added.
Tasdelen mentioned that the first ship they sent from Mersin arrived in Sudan 19 July with 2,500 tonnes of aid.
He noted that there are problems in the region close to Türkiye, including ongoing internal conflicts, drought and excessive rainfall in Sudan.
Highlighting the efforts being made to support and help Sudan, Tasdelen added, "Our country continues to stand by all of humanity, regardless of religion, language, or race, across the world."
Four more shipments for Gaza
"We extend our sincere thanks to our non-governmental organisations and the Turkish Red Crescent. As always, we prepared the aid contents together for this ship as well.
This is not the first time we have done this. This is the 14th ship we have sent this year. Twelve of them were sent to Egypt for delivery to Gaza. We have also provided significant aid there. Currently, we have sent a total of 75,000 tonnes of materials for Gaza," he further said.
Tasdelen emphasised that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the instructions of Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, a decision has been made to deliver 30,000 tonnes of flour to Gaza this year.
He explained that they will deliver this flour to Gaza in a total of 9 shipments. "As of 13 September, we have completed our 5th shipment. We will make 4 more shipments every 10 days, delivering 30,000 tonnes of flour to our brothers in Gaza," Tasdelen said.
Tasdelen also mentioned the significant difficulties at the Rafah crossing, saying: "We have supplies waiting there as well. As soon as we overcome the problems at the crossing, we will also deliver the supplies that are waiting on trucks to Gaza through the Rafah crossing."
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