EU announces more aid to drought-hit East Africa

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

The European Union on Friday announced additional funding of more than $177 million to drought-hit East Africa where millions of people face famine.

The announcement was made during a visit to the African Union by an EU delegation including High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica.

Mimica said during a press briefing in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa that a third of the 165 million euro aid would go to war-torn South Sudan to respond to the humanitarian crisis.

“A famine has already been declared in South Sudan,” he said, underlining that the situation remains a critical cause of concern for the EU and the international community.

The remaining funds would be allocated mainly to Somalia as well as countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia to help them to cope with the effects of drought, according to Mimica.

The new funds bring the total amount of drought response aid from the EU to Africa to 565 million euros over the past few years.

The International Organization for Migration has called for urgent action to help more than 20 million people facing famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and northeastern Nigeria. Kenya and Ethiopia have also bee hit by droughts.

According to the United Nations, around half of Somalia’s population -- 6 million people -- face the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945. At least 260,000 people in the country lost their lives during a 2011 famine.