€77 million in emergency aid to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries: this is the pledge made by the EU at the conference of the donors of humanitarian aid to the DRC, in Geneva on Friday 13 April, co-chaired by the EU, the United Nations, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, reiterated the EU's solidarity with the people of Congo facing a worsening humanitarian crisis.
“For too long have humanitarian needs persisted in the country, and the situation keeps worsening. We are determined to assist the most vulnerable people of the DRC and give them hope”, he said, calling for full humanitarian access in all safety.
€49.5 million will go to reinforce the support for vulnerable populations in the DRC and €10.9 million will help to support refugees and their host communities in the neighbouring countries (Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda).
Of the funds for the DRC, €42.3 million will help to cover the basic needs of 13 million people in need of vital aid and €7.2 million will pay for the EU humanitarian flight service 'Eco-Flight' to channel aid into North and South Kivu. These figures were previously announced during the Commissioner's mission to the country at the end of March to assess needs on the ground (see EUROPE 11980). On top of this will be €27.6 million for health, food security, education and reinforcing resilience. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)