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- The European Union's global humanitarian budget for 2023 is €1.7 billion (R31.7 billion).
- Climate change and wars have been identified as the drivers of Africa's humanitarian needs.
- The money will be chanelled through UN agencies and EU-linked aid organisations.
Africa will take up almost 40% of the European Union's (EU) 2023 budget for global humanitarian needs as the continent grapples with major crises drivers, such as climate change and war.
Last week, the EU revealed that for this year it allocated €1.7 billion (R31.7 billion) to "human-induced humanitarian crises, resulting from wars with often widespread violations of international humanitarian law, conflicts or outbreaks of violence". It said these were "the main source of humanitarian needs in the world".
Natural disasters, such as floods or drought, fuelled by climate change frequently worsen the demands stemming from these crises, the EU said.
Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, the Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria will receive €181.5 million (R3.388 billion).
The funding was to "support those affected by conflict, insecurity, forced displacement and climate shocks," the EU said in a statement.
According to the European bloc, the amounts due to some of these countries, particularly those in the Lake Chad basin, are as follows: Nigeria €34 million; Niger €25 million, Chad €26.5 million, and Cameroon €17 million.
East and southern Africa will receive €330.7 million for programmes that "address the needs of the people affected by long-term conflict" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and "those displaced by climate change as well as armed conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and the Horn of Africa".
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In the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya are the selected recipients.
The Middle East and north Africa will share €382.2 million. It is from there that refugees from the Sahrawi conflict in Western Sahara will get an allocation.
Morocco controls 80% of Western Sahara while 20% is under the control of the Polisario Front.
Since 1992, the EU has provided humanitarian relief to millions of people in more than 110 nations. Humanitarian partner organisations, including various United Nations agencies and specialised agencies from EU member states, all provide aid on behalf of the EU.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
