EU allocates €149 million in humanitarian aid to the Greater Horn of Africa region

By European Commission

EU allocates €149 million in humanitarian aid to the Greater Horn of Africa region

As humanitarian needs increase in the Horn of Africa, the Commission has announced on April 23 new funding of €149 million in aid for the wider region in 2021.

“During the past year, the Greater Horn of Africa countries, in addition to being affected by conflict and displacement, have also been facing the so-called triple threat of desert locust infestation, the impact of climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic. With millions in need of urgent assistance in the region, the EU is ensuring that emergency lifesaving support, such as food, nutrition, health, and protection, reaches those in need,” said the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.

The funding announced on April 23 will support humanitarian projects in Djibouti (€500,000), Kenya (€14 million), Somalia (€42.5 million), Sudan (€52 million), and Uganda (€32 million). In addition, €8 million is allocated to the efforts against the Desert Locust infestation.

The EU has already announced new humanitarian funding of €53.7 million for Ethiopia and €43.5 million for South Sudan during the recent visit of Commissioner Lenarčič to these countries.

Of the total funds allocated across the region, around €30 million will be going to projects providing education to children caught up in humanitarian crises.