(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
On Monday, France announced that it will increase its “humanitarian aid to Libya with a new €450,000 subsidy (nearly half a million US dollars) for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),” according to a press release published on a government website.
The increase in financial assistance will allow the ICRC in Libya to purchase medical supplies and pay for “technical support (needed by) Libyan hospitals and other medical facilities,” said the press release.
France, along with Germany in collaboration with the World Health Organization, will be sending medical supplies to Libya“in response to the needs expressed by the Libyan authorities,” it said.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, sent medical supplies to Libya around the time of their visit to Tripoli last April.
To further support The GNA’s battle against ISIS in Sirte, France sent a “a surgical team in Tunisia to treat wounded fighters.” The press release said France hopes to “demonstrate its support” to the GNA the UN-backed unity government with its medical support.
France’s support to Libya comes after French troops were caught working with Haftar last month, and admitted to the presence of French troops in eastern Libya.