EC gives €14 million in humanitarian aid

The EC has allocated €14 million (about US $17.5 million) in humanitarian aid to vulnerable people in Uganda and Somalia, a statement issued by the EC on Monday said. The funds would be managed by the EC's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson, it added. Uganda was allocated €6 million and Somalia €8 million. The allocation for Uganda targets about 500,000 people affected by conflict in the north and east. In Somalia the funds, targeted at another 500,000 people, will address core emergency humanitarian needs that have persisted as a result of the ongoing civil conflict. "In northern Uganda, a whole generation of children have been damaged by the ravages of the Lord’s Resistance Army [LRA] rebel group, and in Somalia acute humanitarian needs are exacerbated by security problems and harsh climatic conditions. While humanitarian needs are obvious, these two crises have been largely forgotten by the international donor community," Nielson said in the statement. "We feel a special obligation to maintain our humanitarian engagement in Uganda and Somalia to the benefit of the many victims of these crises." In Somalia, the priorities will include access to basic health-care services, clean water, sanitation and education, health, water and sanitation, and improving food supply. "Access to basic health-care services, clean water, sanitation and education is extremely limited, with some 30 percent of the population of Somalia without access to any health services. The infant mortality rate is estimated at 132 per 1,000 live births. Malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea account for more than half of all mortalities in children under five years of age," the EC said. "Chronic instability has resulted in the breakdown of water supply systems, especially in central and southern Somalia. Only about 20 percent of the population have access to safe drinking water," it added.