The European Union is providing €300,000 to fund emergency humanitarian aid to people displaced by the recent escalation of violence in Maguindanao.
The two-month project will provide life-saving relief items to the most vulnerable and support the management and provision of services at evacuation and displacement sites, the Delegation of European Union to the Philippines said.
Fighting erupted between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the towns of Pagalungan and Pikit in February.
The clashes further escalated when the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched an “all-out offensive” against the BIFF troops. The fighting resulted in the displacement of over 120,000 people in the provinces of Maguindanao.
The EU said its emergency assistance will help ensure that the displaced families will have access to safe and dignified shelters, water and sanitation facilities and lifesaving non-food items such as blankets, sleeping mats and hygiene kits.
Psychosocial support will also be provided, it said, allowing the displaced persons to exchange with others about their traumatic experience and receive information on potential further specialized support.
The assistance is on top of EU’s continuing assistance to the families displaced by the fighting which took place in Zamboanga in September 2013, when a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front seized hostages in Zamboanga, leading to an intervention by the military.
The ensuing clashes lasted for more than two weeks and left some 45 dead and over 100,000 people displaced in Zamboanga City.
The EU provided a total of €850,000 in humanitarian aid, including €297,600 provided this year.
In both cases, the assistance is being made available through the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) through its Small Scale Response mechanism.
ECHO’s Small Scale Response fund is a global mechanism which allows for rapid funding of up to €300,000 for humanitarian aid in countries affected by natural and man-made disasters.