Brussels, 27/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - The humanitarian situation in Darfur and the tricky period ahead of the referendum on self-rule for South Sudan deserve more support from the EU, the European Commission states. The Commission has therefore released a further €17 million in humanitarian aid to cover the needs of the country's vulnerable population.
The funding decision, announced on Wednesday 27 October, brings to €131 million humanitarian aid provided by the Commission for Sudan this year.
“The humanitarian needs in several parts of Sudan are considerable. We need to boost our response to avoid the looming breakdown in food assistance programmes. We also need to provide support to our partners so that they are prepared, thus preventing a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation threatened by violence which could surround the referendum of 2011”, explains Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian aid and Crisis Response.
Emergency aid, which is funded by the ECHO budget, will finance the distribution of foodstuffs and medical kits, and be used for the acquisition and storage of seeds and farm tools to meet future needs. (A.N./transl.jl)