Brussels, 21/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday, the European Commission announced the imminent release of 5 million euro of initial immediate aid to the victims of the eruption of volcano Nyiragongo in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (North Kivu). The initial assessment of needs, undertaken on the ground by four Echo experts in collaboration with humanitarian aid agencies and a team of United Nations specialists in analysing disasters (see EUROPE of 19 January, p.5), has allowed for the amount to be defined.
The funds, to come from the Echo budget (Community Humanitarian Office) under the emergency procedure, will be placed at disposal to cover the emergency needs of 100,000 people, or a third of the population affected, and finance co-ordination and logistical operations. Aid will be supplied through the United Nations, Red Cross and humanitarian NGOs partners of Echo on the ground: the provision of emergency food rations (high-energy, protein-rich biscuits pending the organisation of a bulk food distribution), shelter and essential relief items (portable family kits comprising such items as plastic sheeting and blankets), drinking water, essential drugs for the treatment of common diseases such as malaria, and prevention of outbreaks of diseases such as cholera.
The mobility and flexibility of the aid will be an immediate priority given the movement of the population fleeing the area of the eruption and those trying to return to Goma, where their homes have been destroyed, and that despite the persistent danger of gas emissions and the impossibility of discounting further eruptions.
This initial emergency aid granted by Echo in 2001 will be added to the aid programmes the Commission has already provided this region of the DRC (35 million euro in 2001 and 32 million euro in 2002), mainly in the field of healthcare, nutrition and food security. In the weeks to come, Echo will maintain a significant field presence to assess the need for further assistance with resettlement and emergency rehabilitation.