Brussels, 19/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 18 June, the European Commission announced that the EU is to allocate €21 million in emergency humanitarian aid to help vulnerable people in Nigeria escape the violence of terrorist group Boko Haram. These vulnerable people have either been displaced in Nigeria or are refugees in neighbouring countries.
“More than 1.7 million people have been displaced by the terror of Boko Haram (…) Meeting some of them today, I saw with my own eyes the immense needs that the conflict is causing among civilians (…) There are restrictions of access in many areas, in particular along Lake Chad. All possible efforts should be made to ensure that humanitarian organisations can be there for those who need their help”, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides said in Nigeria on Thursday. Stylianides flew to Nigeria on Wednesday evening following the EU-G5 Sahel ministerial meeting in Brussels (see EUROPE 11338), in order to visit the ground.
This emergency aid, which is financed by ECHO (the European Commission's Humanitarian and Civil Protection Department), will provide immediate support, including clean water, food, shelter, healthcare and protection to the most vulnerable people. From this funding, €12.5 million will be used to tackle the humanitarian challenges in Nigeria, and €8.5 million will be used to support the refugees in Niger, Cameroon and Chad. The aid will be channelled through ECHO's partner humanitarian organisations.
This new aid comes on top of the humanitarian aid that the Commission is providing to the most vulnerable people affected by food insecurity and malnutrition throughout Nigeria and its neighbouring countries - in other words, it comes on top of the €123 million allocated this year and on top of the €107 million allocated in 2014. (Aminata Niang)