EU development aid is increasingly being spent on closing borders, stopping migration at source, and returning migrants to Africa, according to an Oxfam report released on Thursday 30 January. This approach diverts aid from its primary objective - to help those in need - and even worsens the situation of these populations, says the Oxfam report critically.
The report shows how the development funds of the EU-Africa Trust Fund are increasingly linked to the short-term domestic policy priorities of EU Member States to curb migration.
More than €1 billion is allocated for this purpose, compared to €56 million allocated to finance regular migration programmes, which represents less than 1.5% of the Fund's total allocation.
"The EU needs to stop undermining its own values and make sure that all its engagements in Africa promote stability, democracy and resilience, not the opposite. Development aid is meant to fight poverty, inequality and the growing climate crisis. It should not be politicised and used as a slush fund for short-term political gain", comments Raphaël Shihav, Oxfam migration expert, in a statement.
The report is available online: http://bit.ly/36JXKmJ (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)