Under a directive from His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Jordanian government is building a health centre in the city of Kass in the Sudanese state of Darfur at a cost of US$400,000 to provide services to 25,000 Sudanese people.

Secretary General of the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) Mohammad Al-Aitan said its technical team found the most appropriate location for the centre so that services can be provided to the greatest number of residents in the Darfur region. The JHCO is already familiar with the needs of the area having previously worked with Kass Hospital in Darfur and supplied it with medical equipment and medical teams. Al-Aitan pointed out that the new 340 square metre centre will begin providing services to Sudanese citizens this month.

Prince Rashid bin Al Hassan, the chairman of the board of trustees of the JHCO, said that Jordan has provided humanitarian assistance to Sudan since 1985 when the country was hit by famine and drought. As a result, the Jordanian National Committee was formed for the purpose of solidarity with Sudan and became part of the JHCO after it was established in 1990. Prince Rashid added that the amount of assistance given to the Sudanese people has reached about $10 million so far.

He also drew attention to the humanitarian role played by the JHCO in providing aid convoys to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Pakistan, Kashmir, Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other areas of the world experiencing disaster and conflict.

Mohammad Othman, the Sudanese ambassador in Amman, expressed his thanks to the Jordanian people for their continuous efforts in support of Sudan and mentioned that the number of Sudanese people in the region where the centre is to be built exceeds 25,000.

[Petra news agency]