Brussels, 21/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - Involved in recurring cycles of conflict and natural disaster, the Horn of African is to receive €77 million in emergency humanitarian assistance from the EU.
The news was announced from Kenya by European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides on Thursday 21 January, during his visit to the region. He was previously in Somalia (see EUROPE 11472).
The aid is financed by the ECHO budget (the European Commission's Humanitarian Department) and €17 million will go to Kenya, where there are over half a million refugees living out of the approximately 1.7 million being hosted by the Horn of Africa.
“No one country alone can ensure the supply of essential services to such a large number of refugees. We must strengthen the resistance both of the people displaced by force and of the communities that are hosting them”, Stylianides stated after visiting the Dadaab Camp - the biggest refugee camp in the world, sheltering over 350,000 people. “The first Somali refugees fleeing conflicts and famine found refuge there 25 years ago. I noted the extent of the families' needs”, he said, paying tribute to Kenya's hospitality.
The €17 million for Kenya will enable vital emergency aid to be financed for the most vulnerable populations - food, health care, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, protection, and education for children in emergency situations.
The remainder of the funding package for the region will be allocated as follows: €20 million for Somalia (as announced by Stylianides the previous day), €25 million for Ethiopia, €5 million for Uganda, €500,000 for Djibouti, and €500,000 for reducing the risk of disasters in the region. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)