Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The European Union (EU) has released €225,000 (N340 million) in humanitarian assistance to support communities displaced by conflicts in Kebbi State.
The intervention, announced on Wednesday, will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to provide emergency assistance to conflict-displaced persons in the state over a six-month period.
The assistance comes amid worsening insecurity in Kebbi, where armed attacks and communal violence across seven local government areas have displaced thousands of residents and left affected communities in urgent need of humanitarian support.
According to the EU, the funding will prioritise multipurpose cash assistance, allowing displaced families to meet their most immediate needs, while protection services will be provided for vulnerable individuals.
The response is expected to reach approximately 7,700 conflict-displaced people living in settlements and host communities across the state.
The EU said particular attention would be given to female-headed households, persons with disabilities, elderly people and individuals facing acute protection risks.
The intervention will also include continuous monitoring of population movements and the mobilisation of local volunteers, with the EU saying the effort would help lay the groundwork for longer-term recovery interventions by other humanitarian actors.
The latest intervention is part of the EU’s contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The EU said insecurity in Kebbi State had deteriorated significantly following an escalation of armed attacks and communal violence.
While displacement had been ongoing since mid-August, it said a sharp escalation in violence around August 31 triggered the humanitarian response.
The violence has reportedly affected more than 16,600 people across the state, including 7,706 people who have been displaced and 108 others who sustained injuries.
The EU said the affected population was confronting a complex security environment characterised by organised banditry, armed group activity and communal violence.
It added that displaced families living in temporary settlements and host communities were in urgent need of shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection.
The humanitarian funding is being channelled through the IFRC’s DREF, a mechanism established to provide immediate financial support to National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responding to disasters and other emergencies.
The EU said the intervention reflected its broader commitment to humanitarian assistance for populations affected by conflicts and disasters.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Department, the bloc provides emergency assistance to vulnerable populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises around the world.
The European Commission (EC) has also signed a €16 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the IFRC to support the Federation’s DREF.
Established in 1979, the DREF is funded through contributions from donors and provides National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies with rapid access to emergency financing.
For smaller-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the fund, which can subsequently be replenished through donor contributions.