The European Commission has allocated
€2 million in humanitarian aid to help tackle the needs of vulnerable
people affected by conflict and drought in Northern Uganda. This decision
is primarily targeted at facilitating access to health services and safe
drinking water, and improving the sanitation situation of vulnerable populations.
The funds will be channelled through the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO),
which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson.
The humanitarian situation in Northern
Uganda has been deteriorating for several years, largely due to the high
level of insecurity, which has brought the economy to a virtual standstill
and forced some 800,000 people to leave their homes. Cattle raiding in
North Eastern Uganda is an additional cause of displacement. The Northern
part of the country has also been facing prolonged dry spells, which have
led to a drop in production of major staples, such as millet and sorghum.
This decision will fund programmes which address the serious humanitarian
problems faced by Northern Uganda health and nutrition, water and sanitation,
as well as shelter and food security. The main group targeted by this decision
will be internally displaced people (IDPs). These problems are largely
going unnoticed by the international community, making Northern Uganda
a forgotten crisis. ECHO has disbursed more than €5 million to victims
of the crisis Northern Uganda since 2000.