EU increases humanitarian funding for refugees in Ethiopia

The European Commission is providing an additional 5 million euros (about 6.3 million U.S. dollars) to respond to the needs of the growing number of refugees in Ethiopia, said EU in a statement on Friday.
Sheltering more than 643,000 refugees, Ethiopia has become the largest refugee-hosting nation in Africa.
Most of the refugees in the East African country are fleeing the conflict in South Sudan and are facing malnutrition and the risk of epidemics, according to the statement.
"The catastrophe happening in South Sudan has a huge impact throughout the region," said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response
"Since the crisis erupted last December, Ethiopia has given refuge to more than 190,000 South Sudanese people. With this funding, we will help meet the basic needs of refugees, including shelter, food, water, hygiene and health."
The new funding brings the commission's humanitarian aid in Ethiopia to 31 million euros for this year, said the statement.
The aid will be channeled through humanitarian partners, including UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations, it said.
The commission has previously supported other neighboring countries of South Sudan with 15 million euros to cope with the inflow of refugees from the ongoing conflict, recalled the statement. (One U.S. dollar equals about 0.7920 euro)