EU sends a further 20 million dollars to stave off Niger famine

Aug 10, 2010, 13:21 GMT

Brussels - The European Union's executive on Tuesday sent 14.9 million euros (20 million dollars) in extra aid to Niger in a further bid to stave off famine in the drought-ravaged country.

A week ago, the European Commission proposed taking 30 million euros out of its emergency reserves to provide food and medical aid in the Sahel. But the situation in Niger is seen as so critical that still more aid is needed.

'This food assistance comes at a critical time for Niger and could free up to 700,000 families from the risk of famine,' the EU's development commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, said in a statement.

Failed rains and poor harvests last year have pushed Niger to the brink of famine. Aid agencies estimate that more than 7 million people could face starvation before the next harvest is gathered in.

Since the end of last year, the commission has made five aid payments totalling 98 million euros to the states of the Sahel in a bid to stave off catastrophe.

Tuesday's aid offer, the sixth in nine months, will largely be spent on basic food supplies, the commission said.

Commission officials also stressed that the only way to return the region to food security would be to strengthen long-term development aid in parallel to the emergency humanitarian help.

The commission suspended development aid payments to Niger at the end of last year, after President Mamadou Tandja launched a bid to overturn the constitution which limited his period in power.

But on July 26 the Brussels-based executive proposed renewing that aid, which is expected to total 458 million euros by 2013.

'A longer-term solution is needed' to the problems of chronic hunger and drought, Piebalgs stressed. EU member states now have to debate the proposal to renew development aid.