EU announces €61m in aid to vulnerable Afghans

KABUL (Pajhwok): The European Union has released €61 million in humanitarian aid to address the needs of vulnerable people in Afghanistan, as well as refugees in neighbouring Pakistan.

A total of €60 million are allocated for humanitarian organisations working in Afghanistan and another €1 million for those in Pakistan, the EU said.

The new funding will help address the food crisis in Afghanistan, where nearly half of the population is acutely food-insecure.

It will also serve to cover other needs such as shelter, protection, healthcare, nutrition and water and sanitation, notably for the population affected by the string of earthquakes that hit the west of the country in October.

Part of the funding will also support refugees returning to Afghanistan, prioritising protection monitoring and immediate support in host communities.

This new assistance comes in addition to the nearly €94 million in humanitarian aid already allocated this year for Afghanistan, including the €4.5 million package approved following the recent earthquakes.

EU humanitarian aid in Afghanistan is solely channelled through humanitarian partners on the ground.

Pakistan had set the November 1 deadline for undocumented Afghan refugees to leave the country or face mass deportations and detention.  About 1.4 million unregistered Afghans live in Pakistan.

But Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting minister of refugees, recently said over 300,000 Afghan refugees had returned home via Torkham and Spin Boldak.

hz/mud

Views: 110