EU increases humanitarian aid in Horn of Africa

The European Commission announced here today that it is increasing by EUR 22 million its humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa region. The new money will help build the resilience to future disasters of at least one million Kenyans and Somalis, said the EU's executive body in a statement. The new aid brings to EUR 335 million the European Commission's humanitarian aid contribution to the Horn of Africa since the start of the hunger emergency. In July last year, the crisis was so grave that the United Nations declared famine in parts of Somalia. Today, thanks to better rains and the dedicated work of humanitarian organisations, the famine has abated. Yet hunger, displacement and insecurity persist, noted the statement. "Millions of people in the region are still depending on humanitarian aid to survive, but after a good rainy season that promises a reasonable harvest, the challenge is shifting from saving lives in an emergency to preventing emergencies in the future," said Kristalina Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.