EU aids African 'Silent Tsunamis'

The European Union is to set aside 165.7m euros (£114m) for humanitarian aid to 10 African countries which it says are ravaged by "silent tsunamis".

EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said many disasters - flood, drought, and conflict - do not hit the headlines but still cause suffering.

Sudan, which has largest population of internally displaced people, is to be the biggest beneficiary - 48m euros.

The projects will be implemented by relief agencies in the target regions.

Specific projects are outlined in the report.

They include relief for the so-called night commuters in northern Uganda - children who abandon their homes for fear of abduction - and clean water for the Comoros after another volcanic eruption.

Resources for water and sanitation are set aside for Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Chad, health care in Burundi, agricultural aid for Madagascar after insect infestations, and aid for refugees in Tanzania.

"Today we remember the victims of the tsunami in South East Asia," Mr Michel said.

"But millions of vulnerable people in Africa are exposed to natural disasters like droughts, floods and insect infestations as well as armed conflicts.

"These are silent tsunamis. Many of these catastrophes do not hit the headlines in the western media but they still lead to great suffering."
Source: BBC.
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