The European Commission has approved additional humanitarian aid worth euro 5 million for civilian victims of the conflict in Chechnya as a response to the gravity of the crisis there. Given the security difficulties in the region, the aid will be delivered by local staff of the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, managed by 'remote control'. The European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) will identify partners and projects. This funding brings the total made available for programmes in this crisis since August 1999 to euro 7.4 million.