EU steps up humanitarian aid for victims of Boko Haram in Africa's Lake Chad region
The European Commission has today announced €58.2 million in humanitarian aid to support the populations in the Lake Chad region in Africa. The funding brings the overall EU i humanitarian aid package for the Sahel region to over €203 million in 2016.
"A full-scale humanitarian crisis has been fuelled by violence in a fragile region. The EU is committed to supporting those displaced and affected by the violence of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin. Our support will target the most vulnerable in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger where more than two and a half million people have been displaced by the terror of Boko Haram alone. Our aid will help provide food, shelter, clean water, and healthcare, as well as protection to the displaced and the host communities. Everything must be done so humanitarian aid workers can deliver lifesaving assistance safely and urgently access those in need" said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides i who is currently on a visit to the region.
The violence inflicted by the terrorist group Boko Haram from northern Nigeria has destabilised the entire Lake Chad region, causing large scale displacements of people. To make things worse, there is a high scarcity of food in the region and access to basic services are severely limited. In turn, this makes the local population particularly vulnerable to man-made and natural disasters.
Nigeria is the country most affected by the current humanitarian crisis in the region. An estimated 2.1 million Nigerians are internally displaced, of which 800,000 people in the north-east of the country are facing severe food shortages and are in need of immediate assistance.
In Chad, one million people are now considered severely food insecure and more than 105,000 people have been internally displaced in the Lake region due to violence. Across the border in Cameroon, around 139,000 people have been displaced.
In neighbouring countries like Niger, a recent escalation of Boko Haram violence has led to new displacements, with over 300,000 people forced from their homes in the country.
Total EU humanitarian aid to populations in the Lake Chad basin and in the Sahel in 2016: €203 700 000.
Type of assistance
Country
Resilience and food
Support for conflict affected population in Lake Chad Basin
Burkina Faso
15 300 000
Cameroon
2 000 000
9 000 000
Chad
41 000 000
9 200 000
Mali
17 500 000
Mauritania
10 700 000
Niger
29 000 000
9 000 000
Nigeria
31 000 000
Senegal
6 400 000
West Africa regional programmes
23 600 000
Total EUR
145 500 000
58 200 000
Background
The European Commission has been providing humanitarian aid to local, host and displaced populations aiming to cover the most urgent needs over recent years. While scaling up emergency assistance remains absolutely essential, there is a need for more solid investment in resilience building and development efforts, in parallel, to help provide more sustainable solutions.
For more information:
Chad factsheet
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/chad_en.pdf
Cameroon factsheet
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/cameroon_en.pdf
Niger factsheet
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/niger_en.pdf
Nigeria factsheet
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/nigeria_en.pdf
IP/16/2445
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