Brussels, 21/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 21 November, the European Commission announced that it is releasing new funding of €1.5 million from ECHO's budget (the Commission's humanitarian aid service) to provide food assistance for around 72,000 victims of the drought in northern Afghanistan. This brings the Commission's humanitarian response to this crisis to €4.5 million. The aid will be in the form of cash (or cash-for-work) so that the most vulnerable households are able to buy food and other necessities from local markets. Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner responsible for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, said: “The drought is taking a heavy toll in northern Afghanistan, where the affected communities are already weakened due to conflict, insecurity and under-development. Close to 3 million people are already suffering due to the drought and we fear the crisis will worsen before the 2012 harvest. This is why the European Commission is boosting its relief operation to the Afghans who are at the worst risk.”
ECHO will continue to monitor the situation to see if there is further need for additional assistance. The Commission's humanitarian experts have been monitoring the drought since June 2011 and have carried out two needs assessments on the ground. They have also taken part in an emergency food needs assessment in Afghanistan under the auspices of the World Food Programme. (AN/transl.fl)