The Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions continue to grapple with a series of complex humanitarian crises, exacerbated by a combination of conflict and climate-related disasters.

In an effort to alleviate the adverse impacts of these crises, the Commission has approved an additional €26.7 million in humanitarian funding for South Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This funding is primarily aimed at assisting newly displaced individuals who are fleeing conflicts and climatic events.

In South Sudan, where approximately 2,000 people arrive daily from neighboring Sudan, an extra €6.4 million in funding will be directed toward supporting the humanitarian response in border areas. Among these new arrivals, which encompass refugees and South Sudanese returnees, a significant 70% are women and children, with 20% of the arrivals suffering from malnutrition.

Somalia, on the other hand, is projected to require emergency humanitarian aid for around 2 million people due to ongoing conflicts, flooding, and a cholera outbreak, all anticipated to persist until the end of 2023. The additional €5.5 million in funding will contribute to the broader humanitarian response in the country.

A sum of €1.5 million has been allocated to enhance food security in Uganda, where the refugee population exceeds 1.5 million, with over 220,000 new arrivals since January 2022.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, €13.3 million will be deployed to support the expansion of the humanitarian response in the face of mounting violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.