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The European Union, already the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the Central African Republic (CAR), has increased its financial humanitarian support to the country by €11 million.
In the grip of a crisis since 2013, more than half of CAR's population – 2.7 million people – are in need of aid. 20% of the people are displaced within or outside of the country.
To help those most in need, at a high-level conference in Brussels today, the European Commission put forward €10 million of additional humanitarian aid: €8 million for assistance inside the country, and €2 million for refugees who have fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo. An additional €1 million will be given to the EU Bêkou Trust Fund for CAR which was set up in July last year by the EU and three Member States: France, Germany and the Netherlands. Its aim is to promote the stabilisation and reconstruction of the country.
"We live in turbulent times where new crises hit anytime and anywhere. But our attention must not shift from ongoing humanitarian crises such as this one. The people of the CAR continue to need our help to survive and rebuild their lives," said Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
The new humanitarian package brings the total amount of EU humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the year to €25 million.
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