EU pledges extra 22m in horn of Africa humanitarian aid

Countries in the Horn of Africa will receive an extra 22 million euros (US $27 million) from the European Union to help them prepare for natural disasters, the bloc's executive said Tuesday. The pledge brought to 791 million euros the humanitarian and development aid the EU had offered to Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia since the region was hit by severe drought last year - the worst in 60 years - the European Commission said. "Today, thanks to better rains and the dedicated work of humanitarian organizations, the famine has abated. Yet hunger, displacement and insecurity persist," the EU executive said in a statement quoted by DPA. The EU's latest contribution is aimed at mitigating the impact of future humanitarian crises by providing food, water, sanitation and health services to local communities, said EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva.