U.S. Africa Command sent about $340,000 worth of personal protective equipment to South Africa over the weekend to help that country battle the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
The equipment, which included N-95 masks, gloves, gowns and a sanitizer was delivered by a U.S. Air Force C-130 and is meant to benefit front-line health care workers, U.S. Africa Command officials said in a statement.
The combatant command purchased the supplies using Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid Appropriation funds after the South African government made a formal request to the U.S. embassy. U.S. AFRICOM also contributed $225,000 to an initiative that would set up handwashing stations in several locations throughout the country.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Kirk Smith, deputy commander of U.S. AFRICOM, said they have been working closely in cooperation with the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to secure the equipment for South African health care workers.
“The contributions of critical personal protective equipment and supplies help South Africa and reflect our commitment to partnership in Africa,” Lt. Gen. Smith said.
The assistance is evidence of a growing partnership between the U.S. and South Africa’s defense forces, said Lana Marks, U.S. ambassador to South Africa.
“This delivery of life-saving equipment, critically needed here in South Africa, shows how we can leverage the infrastructure of our strong defense cooperation to further bolster the U.S. support to South Africa’s ongoing COVID-19 response,” Ambassador Marks said.
Earlier this summer, U.S. AFRICOM provided more than 11,000 protective face shields for the South African Military Health Service. The total value of U.S. support toward South Africa’s COVID-19 response is more than $46 million, officials said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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