WIREDGOV

Two more aid flights have dropped supplies onto Iraq's Mount Sinjar. 

The UK has delivered a fourth round of emergency assistance to northern Iraq following two further successful deliveries of UK aid overnight, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced today.

Over four nights, the UK has successfully delivered a total of seven air drops of clean water, shelter and solar lamps with mobile phone chargers to help thousands of displaced Iraqi people.

Justine Greening said:

The British people can be proud that much-needed aid supplies from the UK are getting through to help vulnerable people in northern Iraq who are facing terrible conditions.

After last night the RAF has successfully made seven drops, including thousands of containers filled with clean water that can also purify dirty water and hundreds of shelter kits to provide shade from the scorching heat.

The latest supplies dropped overnight on Mount Sinjar included two RAF C130 consignments with a total of:

• 2,400 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water (13,200 litres of water in total); and
• 480 shelter kits to provide shade in temperatures of over 40°C.

The successful air drops over Mount Sinjar began on August 9, following an announcement last week by Justine Greening of £8 million in new assistance for those displaced in Iraq. In addition to last night’s drop, the aid deliveries include:

Saturday 9 August: 1,200 reusable water containers, providing 6000 litres in total, and 240 solar lanterns that can also be used to recharge mobile phones overnight

Monday 11 August: 3,180 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water (15,900 litres of water in total) and 816 solar lamps which can also be used to charge mobile phones

Tuesday 12 August: 2,640 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water (13,200 litres of water in total) and 528 shelter kits to provide shade in temperatures of over 40°C

See a summary and latest updates on the UK government’s repsonse to the Iraq crisis

Notes to Editors

The £13 million committed by the UK to Iraq includes:

• £2 million of emergency humanitarian supplies for 75,000 people, including aid that can be air dropped to help those trapped in the Sinjar Mountains as quickly as possible. Supplies will include reusable filtration containers filled with clean water, tarpaulins and basic shelter equipment, and solar lights that can also recharge mobile phones to enable communication;
• £3 million of fast-tracked funding that will go to charities and NGOs who are already on the ground and helping displaced people in northern Iraq. This will go via DFID’s Rapid Response Facility, which has now been activated to deal with the crisis;
• £2.5 million of support for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide immediate medical and humanitarian assistance; and
• a further £500,000 that will ensure Kurdish and UN systems are able to coordinate and respond to humanitarian needs in the region.