ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The envoy of the Chairperson of the AU Commission has arrived in Sierra Leone to assess damage caused by the mudslide on Aug. 15 and also hand over material support, the AU said Wednesday.
The AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira Elfadil arrived in Freetown on Tuesday to express AU's full solidarity with and support to the people and government of Sierra Leone, said a statement by the AU.
The commissioner will hand over a cheque of 100,000 U.S. dollars as part of AU's contribution to the national response effort following the mudslide that has left at least 500 people dead, more than 600 missing, and thousands of others homeless.
The pan-African bloc will also hand over three vehicles to Sierra Leone to support the rescue efforts in the country.
The AU Commission is part of the humanitarian partners taskforce, and the AU Commissioner's visit includes availing the services and support of the Africa Center for Disease Control (AfricaCDC) to Sierra Leone, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the AU Commission has extended his condolences to Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following landslides due to heavy rains in the two AU member states, according to a separate AU statement on Wednesday.
At least eight people were killed in the district of Ratoma on the outskirts of the Guinean capital Conakry while at least 200 people lost their lives in Ituri Province in northeastern DRC.
The Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has expressed AU's commitment to multi-hazard preparedness capacities within and across African countries.
