EC increases aid to region

The European Commission (EC) announced on Wednesday that it would spend an extra US $58 million to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa, raising its response in the region to US $143 million by September.

A statement issued in Brussels, Belgium, said this amount was destined primarily for the hardest hit countries in the region - Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia and adds to the US $85.5 million already approved in aid for these three countries in mid-July.

Up to 13 million people in Southern Africa are at risk of not having enough food due to a combination of drought and political and economic problems. Donors have been asked by the World Food Programme (WFP) for a hefty US $507 million to provide urgent assistance.

On Tuesday the EC announced that it would give US $34.3 million specifically to help Zimbabwe, where almost six million people need aid.

A separate package worth US $120 million was committed to Angola earlier this year.

Of the extra US $58 million, half would go towards humanitarian aid, managed by the Humanitarian Aid Office ECHO, and the other half for food aid - the equivalent of 80,000 mt of cereal, managed by the EuropeAid Cooperation Office.

The total EC contribution to the crisis will cover about 20 percent of the food needs estimated for the region, the statement said.

Food and humanitarian aid had already been delivered to countries in the region via the EC's partners which include the WFP, NGOs and local governments.

For the full statement: http://www.europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/02/1199|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=