EU Bolsters Aid For Displaced Families In Benue and Plateau With €250,000 Lifeline
In a bid to ease the suffering of thousands displaced by violent attacks in Nigeria’s Benue and Plateau States, the European Union has announced an additional €250,000 (over ₦450 million) in humanitarian support.
The fresh injection of funds will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to deliver life-saving assistance to about 15,000 people roughly 2,500 vulnerable households—who have been forced to flee their homes in the last four months.
This emergency response package covers much-needed essentials: cash assistance, household items, healthcare, psychosocial support, as well as access to safe water and sanitation facilities. Crucially, the initiative also aims to boost protection services and raise awareness around health, hygiene, and personal safety offering a holistic support system for families grappling with trauma and hardship.
With over 615,000 displaced in Benue and another 65,000 in Plateau, the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate.
Many affected are smallholder farmers, cut off from their lands at the height of the planting season. Most are now crammed into overcrowded camps or makeshift shelters with little to no access to food, clean water, or medical care.
This EU funding complements earlier support of €500,000 provided to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in July to address urgent needs in Benue State.
The new support comes under the EU’s broader commitment to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), aimed at helping countries respond swiftly to small-scale but devastating emergencies.
The situation remains deeply concerning, with ongoing attacks fuelling a long-term protection crisis. For many families, survival is uncertain. The EU’s latest move is a signal of solidarity—and a reminder that the world is watching.
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