The European Commission announced today €36 million in EU humanitarian aid that will reach 6 countries across Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Millions of people face acute food insecurity, and conflict in northern Mozambique continues to drive one of the world’s most severe displacement crises.
Commissioner Lahbib meets today with the President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, today to discuss the EU’s humanitarian response to floods and how to better prepare for future disasters, as major donors have scaled back operations across the region.
Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, said:
‘When a crisis stops making headlines, the suffering doesn’t stop. The EU stays, that’s what it means to be a principled donor. As other partners retreat and humanitarian law faces unprecedented strain, EU aid continues to reach people in need, wherever they are.’
Of the €36 million, €20 million go to Mozambique, where people are displaced by conflict in Cabo Delgado and floods have compounded the crisis since December. This funding covers food assistance, healthcare, protection, clean water and education for children cut off from school by violence and disaster. The remaining €16 million addresses humanitarian needs, with a focus on malnutrition and health emergencies in Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with €6 million ring-fenced for disaster preparedness across the region.
Part of this funding contributes to the EU’s global humanitarian budget for ‘forgotten crises‘ – rarely reported by the media and forgotten by donors, leading to a lack of funding and attention to resolve their situation.
