Solidarity Action: Algerian Red Crescent provides humanitarian aid to Syria over devastating earthquake
By: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- A team from the Algerian Red Crescent, consisting of paramedics and doctors, set off, Tuesday dawn, for Syria to provide assistance following the devastating earthquake that struck the sisterly country at dawn on Monday, causing countless victims and wreaking terrible infrastructural damage, indicated the Algerian Red Crescent in a post on its official Facebook page.
The team will start, upon its arrival, providing medical and relief services to the victims.
In this vein, the Algerian Red Crescent specified that the operation “takes place in application of the instructions of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune” and that “the initiative aims to provide assistance to the brotherly Syrian people who are going through difficult times”.
Earlier, humanitarian aid consisting of 115 tons of pharmaceutical and food products and tents intended for Syria, in addition to aid of 95 tons of various products for Turkey have been sent by the Algerian Red Crescent (CRA) as part of its noble mission in reducing humanitarian sufferings and improving lives of less-advantaged and most vulnerable communities locally and abroad.
The operation was supervised by the Minister of the Interior, Local Assemblies and Urban Planning Brahim Merad in the presence of the director general of civil protection Boualem Boughlef, the president of the Algerian Red Crescent Ibtissem Hamlaoui, as well as the Syrian ambassador to Algiers Namir El Ghanem.
On this occasion, the Minister of the Interior, in a statement to the press, emphasized the strong commitment of the Algerian state to international cooperation and assistance, particularly in the face of natural disasters, insisting on the pledge and the personal attention given to this operation by the President of the Republic, who is closely monitoring the situation.
He noted President Tebboune’s willingness for ”Algeria to be at the forefront of the States to arrive in the affected areas to provide first aid to the victims’, explaining that ” the President of the Republic has instructed that all measures should be taken to this effect.”
For her part, the President of the Algerian Red Crescent Ibtissem Hamlaoui announced that 40 volunteers specialized in first aid have been sent to the disaster areas under this humanitarian operation, indicating that ”contacts will remain permanent with the Syrian and Turkish Red Crescents with a view to assessing the humanitarian needs of the two countries.
As for the Syrian ambassador Namir El Ghanem, he praised Algeria’s outpouring of solidarity for his country “in these difficult circumstances”, saying that ” this is neither strange for a country linked to Syria by a particular history and ancestral fraternal relations.”
Upon arrival at Aleppo International Airport, Colonel Mujahed Jad said that “the plane carries out a rescue team and humanitarian assistances sent from Algeria to brotherly Syria, wishing Syria to get out of this plight soon.”
For his part, the member of National Committee of Algerian Red Crescent for disasters management Rashid al-Boutalbi said that “the Algerian people and Red Crescent stand by the people to meet their needs”, stressing that “they came today to extend help to the Syrian people, as the Syrian and Algerian peoples are linked with historical fraternity ties”.
On the other hand, the member of executive bureau of Aleppo governorate council Dr. Abdulkader Dawalibi told SANA in a statement that “the plane includes fully-equipped relief cadres from the Algerian civil defense to provide assistance to the civil defense units working in the province to remove rubble, rescue those who are still under rubble in addition to 17 tons of aid provided by the Algerian Red Crescent”.
It is worth mentioning that this outpouring of support from Algeria demonstrates the country’s unwavering commitment to helping its neighbors in times of need and upholding the principles of international cooperation and humanitarian aid. The Algerian people, for their part, have come together in a great wave of national solidarity to help victims of the devastating earthquake. Their hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones or are searching for relatives.
The Algerian Red Crescent (CRA), noteworthy, is an Algerian humanitarian volunteer organization founded in 1956. Its objectives are to help people in difficulty and empower vulnerable individuals and communities in Algeria and abroad as it strives to alleviate human suffering everywhere and at all times without partiality or discrimination. It endeavors to protect human life and health as well as ensure respect for the human being. CRA has a principal mandate of providing a wide range of relief and development services, both locally and internationally, capitalizing on its resourceful and specialist staff and volunteers. Throughout its long history, the body has been serving as an auxiliary to the State of Algeria in its humanitarian efforts, in light of its central mission of improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity inside and outside of Algeria.
Since its foundation and in all its stages and subsequent development, the crescent has had a noble mission to serve humanity, advocate for the weak and safeguard their dignity, inspired by the ideals and the noble values of the authentic Algerian spirit as well as the innate nature of the Algerian people, who are distinguished by their generosity and loving goodness for everyone in this world, but also from their wise and far-sighted leadership which has, throughout history, been keen to support, encourage and nurture humanitarian actions, believing in its great role in promoting cooperation among nations, achieving the ultimate goal of mankind, which is cooperation and solidarity in the face of crises, challenges and blights as well as establishing international peace and security. Algeria sets the finest example of volunteer activity, and contributed to a clear picture of how humanitarian relief should be perceived and implemented.
