Brussels, 20/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will give a further €5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to Iraq following the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people as a result of the recent attacks perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other armed groups. This additional funding, which was announced on Thursday 19 June, comes on top of the €3 million that was pledged by Kristalina Georgieva, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, during her visit to Baghdad and the region of Kurdistan last March.
This additional funding, from the budget of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), will bring the total 2014 humanitarian assistance for Iraq to €12 million. Georgieva appeals “to all parties to the fighting to ensure the safety of civilians and to respect the role of humanitarians working in dangerous conditions”.
The recent spate of displacements was precipitated by the capture of Mosul (a city of nearly 2 million inhabitants in the governorate of Ninewah) by ISIL and attacks by armed opposition groups targeting the governorates of Ninewah, Salah Al-Din, Diyala and Al Anbar. It is estimated that up to 500,000 people have been displaced from Ninewah so far, adding to persons already displaced (estimated at up to 500,000) since January. All hospitals in Mosul are closed. With the intensity of the fighting, the crisis is set to become worse. (AN)