(ST)
The European Union will provide €114million (344 million SDG) for humanitarian aid in Sudan, th European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) announced today. This represents about one seventh of the Commission’s worldwide humanitarian budget for 2010.
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department has offices in Khartoum, Nyala and Juba. Most of the aid for Darfur is for food aid, according to the European Commission’s website. The Commission’s focus in South Sudan is on assisting refugees to return and reintegrate to their homes.
The Commission-funded humanitarian projects are implemented by non-governmental relief organisations, specialised UN agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement.
In an EU document dated December 2009, describing the funding decision for 2010, the European Commission notes that " In Sudan, an estimated 6,500,000 (4,500,000 in Darfur and over 2,000,000 in the South and Transitional Areas) people are in need of humanitarian assistance for their survival. This situation is the result of years of conflict, marginalization, deep poverty and absence of development in most areas."
About €49 million is allocated for health and food security and livelihoods programmes, and €46 million for food aid, short-term food security assistance, treatment of malnutrition and other services. Other funds are for emergency preparedness, humanitarian coordination, and security training for aid workers.