Somalia and Djibouti will receive €89.5 million in European Union humanitarian assistance, as millions of people in the two countries grapple with the consequences of prolonged extreme weather.
“The devastating effects of two years of drought and the recent intense flooding are taking their toll on the livelihood of millions of people in Somalia,” said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. “Our aid will target the most vulnerable and provides life-saving support to those affected by climatic shocks and internal conflict.”
Out of the aid package, Somalia will receive €89 million in emergency assistance to reach communities displaced by severe drought, focussing on the prevention and treatment of malnutrition, water supply and livestock protection, as well as health measures against epidemics. About half of Somalia’s 12 million inhabitants are food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance, while an estimated 1.2 million children are expected to be acutely malnourished during the course of 2018.
With €119 million allocated to Somalia in 2017 alone, the EU has drastically scaled up its humanitarian assistance to the country, helping to avert a catastrophe similar to the 2011 famine which resulted in 260,000 deaths.
A further €500 000 will go to Djibouti to support the refugees in the country who are mostly fleeing the conflict in Yemen, but also from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea by providing water, sanitation, and protection to the communities living in the Ali Addeh, Hol Hol, and Markazi refugee camps. Since 2012, over €10 million in emergency assistance has been allocated to the country.
Source; European Commission