Boko Haram: EU Earmarks €21 Million Relief Fund for Affected Countries

Adebiyi Adedapo The European Commission has announced that it would provide €21 million (N4.3 billion) to help the people in Nigeria and the neighbouring countries affected by the violence inflicted by Boko Haram insurgency.

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, who is visiting Nigeria to assess the humanitarian situation, made this known in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

He said €12.5 million of the total fund would be used to tackle the humanitarian challenges in Nigeria, while €8.5 million to support the refugees in Niger, Cameroun and Chad.

Styliandes observed that over 1.7 million people have been displaced by the activities of the insurgents.

“More than 1.7 million people have been displaced

by the terror of Boko Haram sect. Many of them live in precarious conditions in other parts of Nigeria or the neighbouring countries where they have fled. Meeting some of them today, I saw with my own eyes

the immense needs that the conflict is causing among civilians. We are stepping up our humanitarian response to the call of those in the greatest need, he said.”

The commissioner also expressed grave concern over the lack of humanitarian access to the people who need help.

“There are restrictions of access in many areas, in particular, along Lake Chad. All possible efforts should be made to ensure that humanitarian organisations can be there for those who need their help,styliandes noted.”

According to the EU scribe, the new EU funding would provide immediate support, including clean water, food, shelter, health-care and protection to the displaced and the host communities in the North-east of Nigeria as well as to Nigerian refugees in the neighbouring countries.

The new aid is coming amid the relief that the commission is providing to the most vulnerable people affected by food insecurity and malnutrition throughout Nigeria and its neighbouring countries.