EU Allocates €150,000 in Humanitarian Aid to Support Displaced Families in Mandera County, Kenya

In response to the recent displacement crisis in Kenya, triggered by conflict in neighbouring Somalia, the European Union is providing €150,000 million in humanitarian aid to address the urgent needs of the displaced population and affected host communities in Mandera County.

In response to the recent displacement crisis in Kenya, triggered by conflict in neighbouring Somalia, the European Union is providing €150,000 million in humanitarian aid to address the urgent needs of the displaced population and affected host communities in Mandera County.

The humanitarian crisis stems from a deadly conflict that erupted mid July 2025 between the Somali government and forces from the semi-autonomous Jubaland State in the town of Belet-Hawa, near the Kenyan border, resulting in 16 deaths and nine injuries, and displacing over 500 households who found refuge in Mandera, Kenya.

The EU funding will bolster the Kenya Red Cross Society's (KRCS) response, delivering vital aid to people who have fled violence into Kenya. Support includes emergency shelter, food, clean water, healthcare, risk communication and psychosocial services. The initiative also targets host communities facing increased strain from the influx, providing healthcare, protection, and other essential services.

The three-month action, scheduled until the end of November 2025, is expected to benefit the most vulnerable families affected by the crisis. The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Background

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-made crises.

Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Headquartered in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the EU assists to the most vulnerable people, based on humanitarian needs.

The European Commission has signed a €12 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to "small-scale" disasters - those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €12 million.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Biro, Regional Information Officer for the Great Lakes, East & Southern Africa, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): [email protected].