The Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo will release four million euros of emergency humanitarian aid for the inhabitants of Mosul, in Iraq. This was announced today (Wednesday) by the Department for Foreign Affairs in a communiqué. The struggle rages on to recover the town which has fallen into the hands of the terrorist group, so-called Islamic State (IS). The lives of 1.5 million people are thus under threat.
The allocated funds will come from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is operating on the ground, being one of Belgium's main humanitarian partners, the Minister states.
Alexander De Croo details, “The hospitals have been destroyed whilst there are food shortages as well as a lack of drinking water, electricity and medicines. The Red Cross priorities are entirely in line with those of Belgian policy.”
He further says, “These include offering protection and assistance for those affected by armed conflict and ensuring access to medical care and water. The final mutual priority is promoting international humanitarian law.”
Belgium has anticipated spending some 12 million euros on additional humanitarian aid in Iraq, five million of which is for the ICRC.
The Brussels Times
