18/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - European Commission provides €5 million in humanitarian aid. On Thursday 17 December, the European Commission released €5 million in new humanitarian assistance to help the increasing number of Burundians affected by the ongoing instability in the country (see EUROPE 11453). The extra aid will cover the most urgent humanitarian needs, namely shelter, water and sanitation, as well as health assistance to stop the possible surge of diseases and epidemics, and takes the total amount of aid provided in 2015 to €14 million. More than 220,000 people, over half of whom are children, are estimated to have left the country since April this year to neighbouring countries such as Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. (MB)