Humanitarian aid containers shipped to Libya

Two containers full of clothing and blankets were shipped to Libya by the Civil Protection Department this morning to assist displaced persons.

Speaking before the containers were loaded onto trucks at the CPD's Humanitarian Aid Unit in Marsa, Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said that although the civil war in Libya was no longer making news, there were still a large number of people who needed humanitarian assistance because their houses were damaged or destroyed in the war.

There were also a large number of foreigners, especially Syrians, who were living in tents because they were unable to return to their home country which was also in the midst of an internal conflict.

The minister thanked the Maltese people and the companies who made this latest in a string of similar operations possible.

The two containers - holding 532 boxes of new clothes, 91 pairs of new shoes and 2,406 new blankets, are being shipped to Benghazi in a joint operation with aviation company Medavia.

This operation follows the extensive humanitarian work by the Civil Protection Department during the Libyan crisis.

The department was instrumental in facilitating the safe passage of thousands of tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Libya through Malta. It was also heavily involved in ensuring the well-being of thousands of foreigners who fled the Libyan civil war via Malta.

It saw through 500 tonnes of drinking water, more than 40 tonnes of food stuffs and carried out four humanitarian missions to Libya with its own personnel and volunteers to aid the Libyan people.

Medavia chairman Abdulrazagh Zmiirli expressed gratitude for the relentless support that the Civil Protection Department always provided in such operations.