European Union provides €1mn to flood victims in Congo, DR Congo

The European Union has provided emergency aid of one million euros (or 656 million CFA francs) to the hundreds of thousands of victims of the torrential rains recently recorded in Congo and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This has been announced via a press release from the European Union representation in Congo, APA News noted. This support from the community organization will be distributed as follows – 300,000 euros (196 million CFA francs) for Congo and 700,000 euros (459 million CFA francs) for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"The EU expresses its solidarity with the populations hit by the floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Republic of Congo. In several areas, the floods add to an already fragile humanitarian situation. We are mobilizing this emergency aid to bring much-needed relief to the affected communities," Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management said.

In Congo, vulnerable households will benefit from emergency shelter, food, basic products and access to clean water to prevent water-borne diseases. This financial assistance is intended for the populations of the departments of Likouala, Sangha, Cuvette and West Cuvette.

The envelope has already made it possible to start supplying victims with food, non-food and pharmaceutical products. The floods have claimed more than 150,000 lives, the government of the Congo revealed.