Brussels, 18/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to step up by €10 million its emergency humanitarian aid for saving lives in the Sahel region, hit by drought and bad harvests and surging food prices. The funds, from the ECHO (European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office) budget, will be used to save 1 million people in a rapidly developing food crisis. This includes 500,000 men, women and children from the most vulnerable households in the worst affected areas.
Seven million people are already faced with food shortages that are worsening by the day throughout the Sahel region (Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Burkina Faso), with Niger being the most severely affected. They are considered as being exposed to a severe risk of food shortfalls in 2012.
“By acting now and anticipating the crisis ahead, we can avoid the terrible suffering that has struck in another part of Africa this year”, said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, who alluded to the current crisis in the Horn of Africa.
The extra emergency aid comes in addition to the €45 million already made available in 2011 by the Commission to assist Sahel, and which allowed 6.2 million people to be helped.
The Niger and Mauritania have already declared a state of crisis. Both countries have prepared national action plans and launched an international appeal for aid. Since 2007, ECHO has earmarked over €225 million for the fight against malnutrition in the region and manages is funds from its offices in Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal, the Commission explains. (AN/transl.jl)