The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship, Auspicious Ark, arrived at the PLA support base in Djibouti on Tuesday morning for a technical stop as part of the "Mission Harmony-2026", its first overseas humanitarian medical mission.
The ship arrived at the base at around 07:00 local time, where it was welcomed by staff from the Chinese Embassy in Djibouti, troops stationed at the support base, and representatives from the 48th Chinese naval escort taskforce, which is conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.
During the technical stop, the hospital ship will take on fuel, food and other supplies. It will also provide medical services to personnel from both the Djibouti support base and the 48th escort taskforce.
Since setting sail on July 22, the team has conducted a series of drills, including counter-terrorism and anti-piracy exercises, helicopter flight checks, maritime medical rescue, and reconnaissance and evidence-gathering training.
These exercises are designed to enhance its emergency response capabilities and ensure that both personnel and equipment remain in optimal condition for the missions ahead.
Mission Harmony-2026, the 12th iteration of Mission Harmony since 2010, is scheduled to last over 200 days, during which the ship will visit multiple African and South Asian countries to provide free medical services to local populations.
Chinese navy hospital ship makes technical stop at support base in Djibouti
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warned on Monday that hostilities in Yemen are forcing people to flee their homes, causing civilian casualties, and putting the already stretched humanitarian operations there under growing pressure.
Renewed fighting in Yemen has displaced at least 125,000 civilians from 18,000 households since the start of September, he said at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York City.
The UN Human Rights Office has verified 40 civilian casualties -- eight dead and 32 injured -- in the first two weeks of this month. Women and children account for half of those killed and more than half of those injured, Haq said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to respond, despite extremely difficult operating conditions, providing aid to thousands of households as of Saturday. However, supplies are critically low, and funding is falling short of needs.
Haq highlighted that humanitarian access and movements remain severely constrained due to insecurity. Humanitarian movements into and within several locations on Yemen's west coast remain suspended, while key roads are restricted or impassable.
"We call on all parties to protect civilians, respect international humanitarian law and facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access so that urgently needed assistance can reach communities in need," Haq said.
Hostilities in Yemen drive displacement amid access challenges: UN official
