On Tuesday 29 May, the European Commission announced that the EU has given its go-ahead to granting €467 million from the EU Trust Fund for Africa to combat the root causes of irregular migration, and to provide assistance for the return and reintegration of vulnerable refugees and migrants.
Funds will finance programmes and projects in three regions: the Sahel and Lake Chad regions (€173 million for six programmes), the Horn of Africa (€294 million for eight programmes), and North Africa.
Most of the assistance package will be to support the stability and resilience of these countries, as well as the training of young people to improve job opportunities.
Also, €70 million will be earmarked for aid to refugees stuck in Libya (€60 million for voluntary returns and assistance to reintegration via the International Organisation for Migration, and €10 million will be used to speed up resettlement via the UNHCR emergency transit mechanism).
In a press release, the commissioner for international cooperation and development, Neven Mimica, points to the €1.2 billion funding deficit in the resources of the emergency Trust Fund, and calls for “additional contributions by EU member states”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)