The Horn of Africa will receive additional 59 million euros to improve stability in the region and address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement. EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said that “this new package illustrates how the EU Trust Fund provides sustainable solutions to address instability and lack of economic opportunities, as they are two main root causes of forced displacement in the Horn of Africa. By promoting peace, stability and job creation, these new actions will help create alternatives for people to improve their lives to ensure that migration can become a choice for people, and not a necessity.”
The funding will cover the regional project “Promoting Peace and Stability in the Horn of Africa” for all of the region’s countries, aiming to contribute to peace building, security and stability as well as improving economic integration and development. The project will improve the capacity of national governments of the region in key areas of peace building. This will be done by focusing on early response mechanisms, notably through countering transnational organized crime such as smuggling and trafficking.
The new project focused on Kenya will also be supported to provide the country with the vital tools to adopt its National Strategy to Counter Violent Terrorism. The objective is to prevent and counter violent extremism in an efficient and inclusive way. Two other projects that the EU is supporting now focus on Sudan. In North Darfur, the EU will directly target 80,000 smallholder producers and indirectly benefit the 700,000 people dependent by strengthening rural livelihoods through the inclusive and sustainable management of water resources. The second initiative will provide monitoring, assessments, specific studies, and other technical assistance to support the sound implementation of the €100 million Special Measure for Sudan channeled through the EU Trust Fund.
