The Government of Luxembourg has signed a new agreement with satellite provider SES, technology business Hitec, and the Luxembourg Air Ambulance for its emergency.lu crisis satellite communications programme. The new agreement will see emergency.lu cover more regions with its emergency satellite services over the coming years. One such beneficiary is South Sudan, due to ongoing conflicts in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. 

Emergency.lu is a mobile, satellite-based, telecommunications platform that was created to re-establish communication (internet, phone) after the Haiti earthquake in 2010, to support the coordination efforts of humanitarian organisations in the field and to contribute to saving lives during humanitarian emergencies.

When disaster strikes, equipment and personnel can be deployed to the affected area by LearJet in less than twelve hours. Communication services can also be provided in the context of chronic crises, especially in very remote areas.

Emergency.lu was deployed to South Sudan in 2012 to aid UNICEF’s effort in response to a humanitarian crisis in the country. This deployment extended in a 2015-2019 partnership and is now back to the country once again, to provide satellite communications in the region, due to the new contract, and Luxembourg’s effort towards reducing ongoing conflict in the region. 

Speaking on the new agreement, Franz Fayot (LSAP), minister for development cooperation and humanitarian assistance, said access to reliable communications networks is a “crucial element for humanitarian work, both after natural disasters and in chronic crises”.