The European Union has decided to increase its emergency humanitarian aid to intensify the fight against the Ebola virus and food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The news was announced on Monday 2 December by the EU Ambassador to the African Union, Ranieri Sabatucci, at the Africa Against Ebola: A Private Sector and Partners Forum organised by the African Union.
The bulk of the funding, €40 million, which comes from the ECHO budget (the Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department) will provide access to free and quality health care, including for malnutrition, for those living in Ebola affected areas. The remaining 10 million is earmarked solely for addressing the food crisis in the country.
"The Ebola epidemic in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with the food security crisis, are worsening the humanitarian situation. We are stepping up our support to respond to the basic needs of the population", said the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, in a statement. Her colleague in Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, insists on the need to "remain vigilant and do all we can to bring this outbreak to an end" - the tenth - which broke out in August 2018 (see EUROPE 12369/8). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)