Brussels, 06/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - In order to deal with the growing humanitarian needs of the populations who have fallen victim to the Central African crisis, the Commission is to mobilise a further €6 million in emergency aid to help 100,000 refugees forced to flee to Cameroon and Chad since December.
The funding, which has been divided equally between these two countries facing mass influxes of refugees (at least 70,000 in Cameroon and 8,000 in Chad), will pay for accommodation, food, primary health care, refugee protection, provision of drinking water and basic sanitary installations and hygiene kits. The money will come from the European Development Fund (EDF), once the member states of the EU have given their agreement, and will bring to €10 million the aid provided by the Commission to Central African refugees since December.
“The terrible situation in the Central African Republic is a regional crisis and with the number of refugees still increasing, there is little prospect of them being able to return home. They are all dependent on our rapid humanitarian assistance to survive”, said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, from Cameroon on Tuesday 6 May, where she is visiting to assess the humanitarian situation and discuss the matter with the government and NGOs. She added: “With the annual rainy season arriving, we are bound to face an even more critical humanitarian situation unless the international community steps up its support now. And it is absolutely essential that all Central Africans who have been forced to flee their homes are given a chance to return home safely - in particular the many Muslims who have had to flee the inter-religious violence of recent months”.
Estimates suggest that the crisis in Central Africa has already left nearly 350,000 refugees in neighbouring countries (more than 12,000 in DRC and 8,000 in the Republic of Congo) and more than 600,000 internally displaced persons (including 178,000 in the capital, Bangui, alone). More than half of the population of this country of 4.6 million inhabitants need immediate assistance. The EU (Commission and member states) is the largest provider of emergency aid, with €76 million made available in 2013. (AN)