Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney will today announce an additional €11 million in humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa region.
The funding will be provided by Ireland to United Nations and NGO partners working in the region, particularly in Ethiopia and Somalia, to tackle humanitarian problems caused by conflict and climate change.
The northeast region of Africa includes the countries Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea, and Mr Coveney is currently on a three-day visit to the area.
“I am deeply concerned that today over 30 million people in the Horn of Africa region are now in need of humanitarian assistance, over 24 million of whom do not have sufficient food to feed themselves or their families,” he said.
Life-saving assistance
“Providing life-saving assistance to the Horn of Africa region has been, and continues to be, a cornerstone of Ireland’s humanitarian programme.”
Mr Coveney said the additional funding will in part be put towards meeting the needs of over 1.4 million South Sudanese refugees displaced from their homes due to conflict, that are now in the region.
“Millions have been forced from their homes and their countries. The humanitarian situation across the region is dire” he said.
