EU unveils €1.5m support for victims of Benue crisis, others

Nigeria set to establish Anticipatory Response Fund to address humanitarian crisis

THE European Union (EU) on Tuesday disclosed plans to donate the sum of €1.5 million to support victims of the recent crisis in Yelwata, other Internally Displaced Persons in Benue State, and other parts of the country.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, disclosed this in Abuja during a joint press conference with Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.

Mignot said, “The European Union is a special partner to Nigeria, and in this fast-evolving world, when some partnerships are profoundly reviewed, we want to be a reliable partner, a partner you can count on, a partner that keeps its commitments and we are doing this across the board to help the country harness the many opportunities it has for development and prosperity.

“We are also here when it comes to emergencies, which is why we are coming up with two additional support packages for Benue State. The support includes immediate humanitarian action through our humanitarian office, ECHO, with €1.5 million in funding.

“In the long term, we are providing durable solutions, livelihoods, and housing to support the reintegration of IDPs through a project called the Support for Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria project, which was initially not intended to cover Benue State but has now been extended to include it, with €1 million of support.

“We are still working with our partners to implement this project efficiently and quickly and to explore other sources of support, particularly for peacebuilding.

“It’s difficult to rely on additional support from the international community, which makes domestic mobilisation necessary, from the Federal Government, State Governments, and the private sector, to address the needs and avoid shortages. This is a call to action for all sectors in Nigeria to contribute the much-needed resources.”

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The EU Envoy, while noting that plans are underway to provide durable solutions to those in need of humanitarian assistance, called on public and private institutions to collaborate in addressing humanitarian crises.

In his remarks, minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, while commending the EU for the donation, assured that EU’s contribution as well as other Development Partners would be used to restore the lives and livelihoods of affected communities.