President Jokowi Sends Off Humanitarian Aid for Palestinians, Sudanese

President Jokowi Wednesday (04/03) sends off humanitarian aid for Palestinians and Sudanese at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta. (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Muchlis Jr)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Wednesday (04/03) officially sent off humanitarian aid for Palestinians and Sudanese in a ceremony held at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta.

This aid shipment demonstrates the Government’s commitment to maintaining world peace and actively participating in various humanitarian missions, including in times of war and disasters.

“We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the internal conflict in Sudan, which has resulted in many casualties. Therefore, once again, we are carrying out a humanitarian mission by sending aid to Egypt and Sudan to assist our brothers and sisters in need,” President Jokowi stated.

The President added that the aid, amounting to approximately Rp30 billion, consists of medicines, medical equipment, and other aid prepared in accordance with the needs on the ground as well as in line with the official requests from the Egyptian Government and the Sudanese Government.

“The aid will be delivered directly to Egypt and Sudan, and the delegation is led by Mr. Suharyanto, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and consists of members of ministries and institutions as well as government partners,” he said.

“We hope the aid can help alleviate our affected brothers and sisters in Gaza and Sudan,” he added.

On a separate occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia has sent numerous humanitarian aids and most recently Indonesia also sent parachutes to carry out aid delivery from the air via Jordan.

Meanwhile, aid sent by land from the Indonesian Government, Indonesian communities, and non-governmental organizations has reached more than 4,400 tons.

Retno also highlighted that almost all the aid from Indonesia has reached Palestine.

“Almost all of our aid seems to have entered [the country] — as we have neatly packed it so there is no need to repack it, etc. Indeed, we know that in the case of many countries, many of the aid arrivals are impeded via land because all incoming goods must be checked by Israel,” she said.

Two Garuda aircraft carrying the aid are scheduled to arrive on April 4, 2024, one in Port Sudan and the other in Cairo. This aid delivery signifies Indonesia’s concrete move in playing an active role on the global humanitarian stage.

“Once again, as stated by the President, our diplomacy is characterized by two things: one is peace diplomacy. So, we are also actively helping the struggle of the Palestinians. The second is humanitarian diplomacy. When we see victims of war or natural disasters, Indonesia always seeks to contribute to the cause to the best of Indonesia’s capacity,” she said. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/AIT) (FI/EP)