EU provides more help for conflict-displaced families in Zamboanga

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The European Union said today that it is extending additional assistance of $338,825 for the victims of last year's conflict in Zamboanga City.

The increased assistance brought the total humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to $745,415, said EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.

The funding is being made available through EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) for a project to be implemented by a consortium of aid organizations, led by the Spanish NGO "Accion Contra el Hambre" (ACF-Spain) and including IOM and PLAN- International, he said.

"Our decision to provide further assistance to the displaced is based on a recent assessment mission to Zamboanga," Ledoux said .

"We found that eight months after the crisis, some 3,800 families are still living in very difficult conditions. Our assistance aims at assisting at least 1,500 of the most vulnerable people and providing relief until the authorities can provide a more permanent solution for the displaced."

The main objectives of the 6-month project will be to de- congest the overcrowded Emergency Centers by assisting in the transfer of 300 families to transitional sites where they will receive material to build new shelters, Ledoux said.

In addition, the consortium will improve access to water and introduce a sanitation and hygiene program, he added.

A faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) seized hostages in Zamboanga on Sept. 9, 2013. This armed incursion was met by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which sought to free the hostages and expel the MNLF from the city.

The ensuing clashes lasted for more than two weeks and left some 45 dead and over 100,000 people displaced in Zamboanga City. The fighting also resulted in a fire which swept through a densely populated area of Zamboanga destroying some 10,000 homes.