Brussels, 07/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 7 April, the European Commission announced that the European Union has decided to increase its emergency humanitarian aid by €2.5 million for the civilian victims of the Syrian conflict - and in particular for the Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk camp in Syria (near Damascus).
The funding is to deliver life-saving assistance to 18,000 Palestinian and Syrian refugees who are trapped in the Syrian conflict and whose already precarious living conditions have become considerably worse since these refugees fell victim to the attack by Islamic State and attacks from the Syrian regime. The aid is also intended to help the peoples who have become victims of the recent violence in Idlib, Dara'a (south western Syria) and Aleppo.
“The suffering of civilians in Yarmouk camp is reaching intolerable levels. Once again, I strongly urge all parties to the conflict to allow immediate and unconditional humanitarian access, and to afford all necessary protection to Palestinian refugees and all affected civilian populations in Syria”, said European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.
Life-saving products and cash will be channelled to the people in distress through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), the partner of ECHO (the European Commission's humanitarian aid and civil protection department) on the ground. On Monday 6 April, the UN Security Council called for humanitarian access and the protection of civilians to be assured after it was informed by UNRWA of the “totally catastrophic humanitarian situation”.
The EU and its member states have released €3.35 billion in aid since the start of the Syrian conflict. On 31 March, the EU promised at the third donors' conference for Syria to pay €1.1 billion in 2015, €500 million of which will be financed by the EU budget (see EUROPE 11286). (Aminata Niang)