Nigeria: EU provides additional €250,000 in Humanitarian Aid to displaced populations in Benue and Plateau States

Nigeria: EU provides additional €250,000 in Humanitarian Aid to displaced populations in Benue and Plateau States

In response to the mass displacement caused by a series of violent attacks by armed groups across Benue and Plateau States of Nigeria, the European Union is releasing an additional €250,000 (over N450 million) in humanitarian assistance to help people in need.

This EU funding will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to deliver immediate, life-saving humanitarian assistance to 2,500 vulnerable households (around 15,000 people) who have been displaced over four months. Support will include emergency cash assistance, essential household items, healthcare and psycho-social support, as well as water and sanitation.

In response to the mass displacement caused by a series of violent attacks by armed groups across Benue and Plateau States of Nigeria, the European Union is releasing an additional €250,000 (over N450 million) in humanitarian assistance to help people in need.

This EU funding will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to deliver immediate, life-saving humanitarian assistance to 2,500 vulnerable households (around 15,000 people) who have been displaced over four months. Support will include emergency cash assistance, essential household items, healthcare and psycho-social support, as well as water and sanitation.

Beyond immediate relief, the initiative will strengthen protection services and conduct awareness campaigns on health, hygiene, and safety. This comprehensive approach aims to not only alleviate suffering but also to safeguard the dignity of vulnerable people-especially women, children, and those repeatedly displaced-who are now living in precarious, overcrowded, and underserved conditions.

The humanitarian situation is dire. As of July 2025, over 615,000 people are displaced in Benue State and an additional 65,000 in Plateau State. Many are subsistence farmers cut off from their land during the crucial planting season. The majority reside in overcrowded internally displaced people camps or informal shelters, facing severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and protection.

This 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).

In July, the EU provided the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with €500,000 (approximately NGN 886,315,000) to meet the most urgent needs of displaced populations in Benue state for a period of 6 months.

The recurring and targeted violence in Benue and Plateau States continues to fuel a protracted protection crisis, leading to widespread destruction and a deepening humanitarian emergency. With new security threats emerging weekly, the need for sustained humanitarian action remains paramount.

Background

The European Union and its Member States are 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 man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Commission has signed an 8 million humanitarian delegation 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 (DREF) 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 be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €12 million.

For further information, please contact:

Anouk DELAFORTRIE: [email protected]

DG ECHO website:

https://http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_fr.htm

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