On Wednesday 13 March, the European Commission announced €70 million in funding for humanitarian projects.
€63.75 million will be allocated to projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), of which €4.75 million will be used to reduce disaster risks. This sum is in addition to the €1.7 million released last February following the worst floods to hit the country in 60 years (see EUROPE 13347/21).
“This EU funding will support projects focusing on the fight against gender-based violence, education in emergency situations and disaster preparedness”, said the Commission in a press release.
According to the Commission, with the escalation of violence in the east of the DRC (see EUROPE 13363/21), sexual violence and exploitation of civilians have reached unprecedented levels, particularly around camps for internally displaced persons, where women and children are forced to engage in various forms of prostitution in order to survive.
In addition, €6 million will be allocated to the regional intervention plan for refugees from Burundi, which provides humanitarian aid to these refugees in neighbouring countries, including Rwanda and Tanzania, as well as to returnees in Burundi. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)