From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The European Union has pledged €102.5 million humanitarian funding to Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The pledge was made on the occasion of a high-level conference on the Lake Chad Region, in Niamey from January 23 to 24.
The total amount for 2023, according to the EU, will be distributed as follows: Nigeria (€34 million), Niger (€25 million), Chad (€26.5 million) and Cameroon (€17 million).
The funding is part of €181.5 million allocated this year for the Lake Chad Basin, the Central African Republic and the Sahel, as announced last week.
The EU, in a statement in Brussels and made available to Daily Sun in Abuja by the EU delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said it has allocated €102.5 million in humanitarian aid to help vulnerable communities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Lake Chad region.
The EU also said violence in the region, where the civilian population is increasingly the victim of targeted attacks, is resulting in large-scale displacement, disruption of livelihoods and lack of access to basic services.
“Over 24 million people in these four countries are estimated to need humanitarian assistance, an increase of 9.5 per cent from last year. This funding will provide much needed support to vulnerable communities impacted by conflict, displacement and increasing food insecurity. As the region faces an unprecedented food crisis, we will continue to monitor the situation and to react with additional funding if necessary,” the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said.
The EU’s humanitarian aid in the Lake Chad region is targeted to providing life-saving assistance to people displaced by conflict and hosting communities; responding to the most acute food needs of households and communities affected by conflict and treating severe acute under nutrition in children under five and giving access to healthcare to populations that are newly displaced or outside the reach of health authorities, and improving the access to safe water and sanitation.
Others include supporting emergency education for displaced children and those in hard-to-reach areas; and strengthening disaster preparedness such as early warning systems and climate resilience actions.
