By Gloria Ikibah
The European Union has released the sum of €225,000, which is about N340 million, in humanitarian assistance to support communities displaced by conflict in Kebbi State. 
The funding, announced on Wednesday, will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to provide emergency assistance to conflict-displaced persons across the state over a six-month period.
The EU said the intervention would prioritise multipurpose cash assistance, allowing affected families to meet their most urgent needs, alongside protection services for vulnerable persons.
The response will also include continuous monitoring of population movements and the engagement of local volunteers, while helping to lay the groundwork for longer-term recovery efforts by other humanitarian actors.
According to the EU, the intervention is expected to reach approximately 7,700 conflict-displaced people living in settlements and host communities across Kebbi State.
It said priority will be given to female-headed households, persons with disabilities, elderly people and those facing acute protection risks.
The funding forms part of the EU’s wider contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The EU said the security situation in Kebbi had deteriorated sharply following an escalation of armed attacks and communal violence across seven local government areas.
It said displacement had been ongoing since mid-August, but a sharp escalation in violence around August 31 triggered the latest humanitarian response.
The violence has affected more than 16,600 people across the state, including 7,706 people who have been displaced and 108 others who sustained injuries.
The EU said displaced families in temporary settlements and host communities were facing urgent needs for shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection.
It attributed the worsening security situation to a complex mix of organised banditry, armed group activity and communal violence.
The latest intervention is expected to provide immediate assistance to displaced households while humanitarian actors continue to monitor the situation and assess further needs across affected communities.
