EU doubles Sahel aid in response to food crisis

The EU is doubling its humanitarian aid to the Sahel to nearly €95m in response to the slow onset emergency in the region, where an estimated 300,000 children are affected by malnutrition annually.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis response, arrived in Niger on Wednesday to see at first hand the extent of food shortages and announced the substantial increase in aid to stave off hunger and try to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

The extra money is to come from the EU's development budget after protracted discussions between the union's humanitarian office and its development arm, led by commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

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