Countries in the Lake Chad Region, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, are to benefit from the European Union’s €102.5 million humanitarian aid.
A statement signed by the bloc indicated that the EU made the pledge at the 3rd High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region which holds in Niamey from January 23 to 24.
The conference is a critical international political forum convened with a view to facilitating regional, cross-border consensus around the required adjustments for effectively dealing with the prevailing multi-faceted challenges in the region.
The Lake Chad region, which is located in the far west of Chad and the northeast of Nigeria, and also extends to Niger and Cameroon, is one of the world’s most protracted conflict and crisis environments.
According to the bloc, the EU has pledged €102.5 million in humanitarian funding for Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
The funding will help vulnerable communities in the four countries in view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region.
The funding is also expected to address the violence in the area, where the civilian population is increasingly becoming the victim of targeted attacks, the group said
The bloc added that the increasing attacks have resulted in large-scale displacement of persons, disruption of livelihoods, and the lack of access to basic services.
The bloc further said that the EU funding is specifically “responding to the most acute food needs of households and communities affected by conflict and treating severe acute undernutrition in children under five.
Details of the funding for 2023 indicate that the total amount will be disbursed as follows: Nigeria (€34 million); Niger (€25 million); Chad (€26.5 million); and Cameroon (€17 million).
The funding is part of the total €181.5 million allocated this year for the Lake Chad basin, the Central African Republic and the Sahel, as announced last week.
In 2022, the EU provided about €189.5 million to support humanitarian interventions in the 4 countries of the region.
(NAN)