Brussels, 26/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 26 July, the European Commission decided to grant €10 million in emergency humanitarian aid to help the most vulnerable in Yemen, whose humanitarian needs are great when international aid is lacking.
The money, from the budget of the Commission's humanitarian wing, Echo, will provide shelters, drinking water, basic water purification facilities, primary health care and protection. Some 350,000 internally displaced persons, their host communities and 170,000 foreign refugees in Yemen will benefit.
Commenting on the decision, European International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said in a press release: "Yemen is facing two major humanitarian challenges which are overstretching the country's resources. Due to the recurrent conflict, we have about 350,000 internally displaced people in the north. There are also over 170,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia, who are trying to escape the instability in the Horn of Africa, scattered all around Yemen. The most vulnerable among both groups of population are largely dependent on international humanitarian aid as livelihood opportunities are scarce and the resources of host communities have been depleted and overstretched over the past few months". (A.N./transl.rt)