The European Union (EU) has released €225,000, about N340 million, in humanitarian assistance to support people displaced by conflict in Kebbi State.
The funding, announced on Wednesday, will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to provide lifesaving assistance to conflict-displaced persons across the state over a six-month period.
The intervention will prioritise multipurpose cash assistance to help affected families meet urgent needs, alongside protection services for vulnerable groups.
The EU said the response would target approximately 7,700 displaced people living in settlements and host communities across Kebbi State.
It said priority would be given to female-headed households, persons with disabilities, elderly people and individuals facing acute protection risks.
The intervention will also involve continuous monitoring of population movements and the mobilisation of local volunteers, while contributing to the foundation for longer-term recovery interventions by other humanitarian actors.
The EU said the assistance was being provided in response to the deterioration of security in Kebbi State following an escalation of armed attacks and communal violence across seven local government areas.
According to the EU, displacement had been ongoing since mid-August, but a sharp escalation in violence around 31 August triggered the humanitarian response.
The violence has affected more than 16,600 people across the state, including 7,706 people who have been displaced and 108 others who have been injured.
The EU said displaced families in temporary settlements and host communities were facing urgent needs for shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection amid a complex security environment involving organised banditry, armed group activities and communal violence.
The funding is part of the EU’s broader contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The European Commission has signed a €16 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the IFRC to support the DREF, which provides emergency financing to National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responding to disasters.
Established in 1979, the DREF enables National Societies to access immediate funding when disasters occur. For small-scale emergencies, the IFRC provides grants from the fund, which can subsequently be replenished by donors.
The EU said its humanitarian assistance, delivered through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department, was aimed at saving lives, preventing and alleviating human suffering, and protecting the dignity of people affected by conflicts and disasters.