CAIRO — Based on the directives of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and as an attempt on Egypt’s part to show solidarity with the Sudanese people, Egypt sent Aug. 18 a medical aid shipment to those affected by the floods in Sudan.

A military plane with a shipment of medicines and medical supplies took off in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Health in a bid to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people affected by the torrential rains that recently swept across Sudan.

Heavy rains in August caused massive floods in Sudan, leading to the death of more than 36 people and the destruction of dozens of villages, while thousands of Sudanese families have been displaced. The floods have also caused landslides that damaged around 5,000 homes and infrastructure in 14 of the 18 Sudanese states.

The Egyptian aid comes amid heightened tensions witnessed by the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, and in light of the lack of a binding agreement on the dam’s operation and filling between the three countries so far.