From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The European Union (EU), has provided the sum of €37 million geared towards humanitarian projects in the country.
The EU’s humanitarian funding in the Sahel and Central Africa countries, is targeted to provide life-saving assistance to the people affected by conflict and to the communities hosting people who had to flee.
The EU, in a statement released in Brussels, Belgium, made available to Daily Sun in Abuja by the Press Officer, Politics, Press and Information Section, the Delegation of the EU to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr Modestus Chukwulaka, said the EU was reaffirming its solidarity with vulnerable people in countries in the Sahel and Central Africa through a humanitarian budget of €210 million in 2021.
The funding, the EU disclosed, will be allocated to humanitarian projects in Burkina Faso (€24.3 million), Cameroon (€17.5 million), the Central African Republic (€21.5 million), Chad (€35.5 million), Mali (€31.9 million), Mauritania (€10 million), Niger (€32.3 million) and Nigeria (€37 million).
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “Worsening instability and armed conflicts, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and natural hazards, are having a devastating impact in the Sahel and countries in Central Africa. The EU remains committed to help reduce suffering among people in need in the region. While humanitarian aid is there to bring emergency relief, longer-lasting improvements can only be brought about through the political will of national governments and good governance.”
The assistance is also geared towards the provision of protection to vulnerable people and support the respect of international humanitarian law and the humanitarian principles.
The humanitarian aid, according to the EU, was also to support measures to address food crises and severe acute malnutrition among children under five.
It will also enhance the immediate response in terms of basic services to most vulnerable population, especially as concerns health care for all or education for children caught up in humanitarian crises; and strengthen fragile communities’ preparedness for crises such as mass displacements of people, or recurrent food or climate-related crises.
“This assistance is part of the wider EU support provided to the region, including through the ´Team Europe´ contributions to the Coronavirus Global Response, support to the vaccine distribution effort through the COVAX Facility, and other actions providing longer-term support to strengthen fragile health systems,” the EU said.