(RW)- Brussels/Mogadishu, 19 October 2017- The European Commission has announced initial emergency aid of €100 000 to help respond to rapidly increasing medical needs in Mogadishu following the attack on 14 October.
The funding will help to provide critical medical and surgical interventions and supplies, human resources, and psycho-social support in the aftermath of the bombing in the Somali capital. "The world has been watching in dismay, shock and sadness as the magnitude of last Saturday's terror attack in Mogadishu has been unfolding. The loss of innocent human life is appalling. This initial EU aid will help our partner IMC scale up the medical response and urgently treat the hundreds of wounded that need immediate life-saving assistance," said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.
Background
The massive truck blast of Saturday 14 October in Mogadishu was one of the worst the city has suffered in over a decade. It has claimed 300 lives and left more than 300 people injured and in need of urgent medical care, including humanitarian actors.
These numbers are expected to rise as hundreds more are still missing. Many people are feared to be trapped under collapsed buildings.
The Government of Somalia has requested international help to care for the injured as well as to help with search and rescue.
EU humanitarian partners are responding to the needs by providing medical staff, equipment and supplies.
The €100 000 are part of the EU's Small Scale Response fund and have been allocated to the International Medical Corps (IMC), which has been among the first responders to the crisis. The Small Scale Response fund is a global mechanism which allows for rapid funding for humanitarian aid in countries affected by natural and man-made disasters.
The EU has been progressively increasing its annual humanitarian support to Somalia since 2016, in particular to respond to the severe drought affecting the country. It has allocated nearly €120 million to humanitarian partners in the country this year alone.
Press contacts:
Anouk DELAFORTRIE (+249 962 782 712/ +254 722 791 604
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