EU ANNOUNCES HUMANITARIAN AID

The European Union has announced 14.6 million euros (about 16.7 million US dollars) in humanitarian aid for Mozambique. An EU press release says that, of this sum, five million euros is intended to support people affected by the terrorist violence in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. The rest is to help Mozambique prepare for future natural disasters. According to the release, this support is part of the package of 64 million euros announced by the European Commission on Monday for humanitarian aid to the countries of southern Africa, and to help vulnerable people deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, and extreme climatic conditions such as persistent drought.

Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, declared, when he announced the package, that the EU “is helping provide assistance to help save the lives of vulnerable households, who are suffering from the loss of harvests and livestock due to drought. This package will also strengthen the response to the pandemic in the countries of the region”.

The amount announced for southern Africa is intended to finance food aid for vulnerable households and support for farmers in the affected areas so that they can re-establish their livelihoods. The release says the money will also support actions of preparation and prevention of Covid-19 , and projects of disaster preparation “which also cover new needs arising from the pandemic, and include boosting early warning systems and plans to evacuate communities affected by natural risks”.