Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad region, namely Niger, Cameroon, and Chad are to benefit from the European Union’s (EU’s) €102.5 million humanitarian aid.
The EU made the promise to provide the humanitarian aid during the 3rd High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region held on Monday and Tuesday in Niamey, Niger Republic capital.
According to the organizers of the forum, it was convened to facilitate regional, cross-border consensus around the required adjustments for effectively dealing with the prevailing challenges in the region.
The bloc disclosed that the EU funding would be committed to tackling the worsening problems around the acute food needs of households and communities affected by conflict and in treating treating severe acute under-nutrition in children under the age of five years.
The bloc stated that the fund would also help to improve amenities for those that are affected.
The statement also indicated that the funding would help provide “access to healthcare to populations that are newly displaced or outside the reach of health authorities, and improving the access to safe water and sanitation as well as supporting emergency education for displaced children and those in hard-to-reach areas.”
“It will also allow for strengthening disaster preparedness in terms of early warning systems and climate resilience actions)”, it added.
The EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, was quoted as saying that “more than 24 million people in these four countries are estimated to need humanitarian assistance an increase of 9.5 percent over that of 2022.
“This funding will provide much-needed support to vulnerable communities impacted by conflict, displacement, and increasing food insecurity. As the region faces an unprecedented food crisis, we will continue to monitor the situation and react with additional funding if necessary”, Lenarcic added.
The Lake Chad region, which is one of the world’s most protracted conflict and crisis zones, is located in the far west of Chad and the North East of Nigeria and also extends to Niger and Cameroon.
While increasing attacks have resulted in large-scale displacement of persons, disruption of livelihoods, and the lack of access to basic services, the bloc expressed optimism that the funding will help vulnerable communities in the four countries in the face of deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region.
