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EU increases humanitarian aid for Burundi refugees

Xinhua, July 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

The European Commission was releasing 4.5 million euros (about 4.9 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian assistance to help refugees from Burundi that have fled to neighboring countries, according to the Commission on Thursday.

"We cannot overlook the deteriorating humanitarian situation affecting Burundi. Refugee numbers are up in the last three months which is a serious cause of concern in an already fragile region," said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.

"This additional EU humanitarian funding will help neighboring countries accommodate refugees and meet their most urgent needs," said Stylianides.

This funding increase brings the total humanitarian aid for the Great Lakes region for 2015 to 56.5 million euros. The aid released mainly for Burundi refugees amounts to 9 million euros since the end of April, when their numbers started growing. Certain refugee camps have become overpopulated and health risks have continuously worsened.

According to the Commission, more than 175,000 people, the majority of them women and children, are estimated to have already left the country. Rwanda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have been experiencing flows of refugees from Burundi since April. (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars) Endit