EU gives P17-M aid for displaced civilians in Zamboanga

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The European Union (EU) has allocated P17 million (€300,000) to aid over 100,000 displaced civilians in the standoff between government forces and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters.

The distribution of assistance in the evacuation and displacement sites around Zamboanga will serve as a four-month project of EU, it said Tuesday in a statement.

Its emergency relief will provide temporary shelters for  more than 1,000 families and 21 alternative transitional shelters. EU will also deploy 20 camp management support staff  to evacuation centers.

As of October 1, a total of 38 evacuation centers are still serving 19,103 families or 102,401 persons.

“The four-month project will include a special focus on the most vulnerable internally displaced persons to ensure that they have access to safe and dignified shelters and access to lifesaving non-food items like blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen utensils,” the statement said.

EU said this would consist of emergency non-food supplies and assistance in the management and provision of services at the strife-torn city.

Meanwhile, the Ambassadors of the European Union Member States in the Philippines expressed their concern at the humanitarian crisis created by the gun battle in Zamboanga.

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux said “while helping to address the resulting crisis, the EU reminds all sides of the international rules requiring safe access of humanitarian organizations and assistance.”

“The EU also calls on all parties to respect human rights and strictly adhere to international humanitarian law,” Ledoux said in a statement.

The EU assistance is provided through the  European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department.

In a month-long standoff, the MNLF taken nearly 200 people hostages while over 200 had been killed, including civilians and members of the MNLF and government troops.