Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The European Commission has announced a sweeping €235 million humanitarian assistance package for West and Central Africa, reinforcing its long-standing role as one of the region’s most consistent emergency donors amid worsening conflict, food insecurity, and climate-related shocks.
The new funding targets millions of vulnerable people across a region grappling with overlapping crises —from jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel to displacement in the Lake Chad Basin and fragile governance structures that continue to strain already weak social systems.
Of the total package, €75 million would be channeled to the Central Sahel, the epicentre of violence and displacement.
Chad would receive over €72 million, reflecting mounting humanitarian pressure exacerbated by spillover from the Sudan conflict. Nigeria is allocated €33 million, while €22 million will go to the Central African Republic and €16.6 million to Cameroon.
Additional funding includes €4.8 million for Mauritania and more than €6 million for coastal West African countries, alongside €6.4 million for regional programmes.
European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, described the region as being caught in a “perfect storm” of crises.
“Humanitarian aid here is not optional—it is the difference between survival and despair,” she said, recounting her visit to Chad, where she witnessed families displaced by violence, stripped of livelihoods and basic necessities.
West and Central Africa remain one of the world’s most complex humanitarian theatres. The Central Sahel—spanning parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—continues to experience relentless insecurity, with armed groups expanding their reach into previously stable coastal states.
In the Lake Chad region, insurgency linked to extremist groups has displaced millions, particularly in north-eastern Nigeria. Meanwhile, the crisis in Sudan has intensified pressure on eastern Chad, triggering fresh refugee flows and compounding already dire needs.
Separate but equally severe emergencies persist in north-western Nigeria, where banditry and communal violence have uprooted communities, as well as in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions and the Central African Republic, where cycles of conflict and instability remain entrenched.
Climate change has further amplified these challenges, driving erratic rainfall, desertification, and competition over scarce land and water resources—factors that often fuel conflict and displacement.
The latest funding is part of a broader continuum of humanitarian engagement by the European Union, which has consistently ranked among the top donors to Africa’s crisis zones.
Over the past decade, the EU has mobilised billions of euros in emergency assistance and development support across the Sahel and Lake Chad regions. Through instruments such as the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, it has funded programmes aimed at stabilisation, food security, and resilience-building, while also addressing root causes of irregular migration and conflict.
In Nigeria, EU humanitarian funding has supported life-saving interventions in the North-East, including food assistance, healthcare services, water and sanitation projects, and education in emergencies. Similar interventions have been replicated across Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, often in partnership with UN agencies and international NGOs.
The EU has also played a key role in responding to acute food crises, scaling up aid during periods of severe drought and lean seasons. Its interventions frequently combine immediate relief with longer-term resilience strategies, helping communities withstand recurring shocks.
Despite years of sustained support, humanitarian needs in the region continue to outpace available resources. Aid agencies warn that funding gaps, access constraints, and escalating insecurity are limiting the reach of life-saving assistance.
The European Commission said the new €235 million package is designed to address both urgent needs and structural vulnerabilities, ensuring that displaced populations, host communities, and hard-to-reach groups receive critical support.
Beyond emergency relief, the intervention aims to preserve human dignity—providing not just food and shelter, but also access to education and basic services that can help rebuild lives disrupted by conflict.
As crises in West and Central Africa grow increasingly interconnected, the EU reiterated its commitment to remaining a “reliable and principled humanitarian partner,” signalling that sustained international engagement will be crucial to preventing further deterioration in one of the world’s most fragile regions.
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