More to hunger victims from the Norwegian government

Hunger victims, Yemen, Somalia, South SudanPhoto, Somalis displaced by a drought arrive at makeshift camps on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. Britain is hosting a high-level conference on Thursday, May 11, 2017, to address the threat of famine in Somalia. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File).

Norway’s aid for hunger victims in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and northeastern Nigeria is increased by NOK 220 million

Norway’s aid for hunger victims in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and northeastern Nigeria is increased by NOK 220 million in the revised national budget.

 

 

The proposed increase means that Norway‘s extraordinary humanitarian aid to the hungry countries is almost NOK 900 million so far in 2017.

– All of the four countries are affected by armed conflicts and attacks affecting the civilian population.

– In the case of rapid life-saving relief, the global community can help to reduce the magnitude of a reported disaster, says Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende (Conservatives).

He emphasizes that it is also important to find political solutions to the conflicts in the countries.

About 20 million people need emergency aid in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and northeastern Nigeria. The situation is called the worst hunger disaster in the UN history.

– UN and humanitarian organizations have received less than one third of the funds required. The international community must contribute, says Brende.

In March this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that there would be no additional allocations for hunger victims in African countries.

The reason was that Norway’s contribution was significant. But the government has changed its mind since then.

In addition to the money for the four hungry countries, the revised national budget has granted NOK 54 million extra for other humanitarian purposes.

Some of this may be for long-standing crises that have wound up in the shadow of more acute disasters.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Todayy