Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The European Union (EU) has released €225,000, equivalent to about N340 million, in humanitarian assistance to support communities displaced by conflict in Kebbi State.
The assistance, announced on Wednesday in a statement, will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to provide lifesaving support to conflict-displaced persons in the state over six months.
According to the EU, the intervention will focus on multipurpose cash assistance to enable affected families to meet their immediate needs, alongside protection services for vulnerable individuals.
The response will also involve continuous monitoring of population movements and the mobilisation of local volunteers, while helping to create the foundation for longer-term recovery interventions by other humanitarian actors.
The EU said the programme is expected to reach approximately 7,700 conflict-displaced persons living in settlements and host communities across Kebbi State.
It said priority would be given to vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, persons with disabilities, elderly persons and individuals facing acute protection risks.
The funding forms part of the EU’s contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The EU said security conditions in Kebbi had deteriorated significantly following increased armed attacks and communal violence across seven Local Government Areas.
It noted that displacement had persisted since mid-August, while a sharp escalation in violence around August 31, 2026, triggered the humanitarian response.
The escalation reportedly affected more than 16,600 people across the state, including 7,706 displaced persons and 108 injured victims.
The EU said displaced families living in temporary settlements and host communities were facing urgent needs for shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection amid a complex security situation involving organised banditry, armed groups and communal violence.
The humanitarian assistance is being provided under a €16 million humanitarian delegation agreement signed by the European Commission with the IFRC to support the Federation’s DREF.
Established in 1979, the DREF provides immediate financial assistance to National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responding to disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
The EU said the fund enables the IFRC to provide grants for small-scale disasters, with donor contributions used to replenish the fund.
The European Union and its Member States remain among the world’s leading humanitarian donors, assisting people affected by conflicts and disasters based on assessed humanitarian needs.
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