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A Cameroonian United Nations peacekeeper Reuters/PA Images

Ireland gives €5.5 million in aid to crises in Chad and Central African Republic

Dozens of civilians have been killed in the crises.

IRELAND IS TO give €5.5 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the crises in the Lake Chad Region and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney announced today that Ireland will give €4.3 million to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in response to the Lake Chad Region crisis.

The crisis is affecting over 10 million people across North-East Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

A further €1.2 million will be given to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist refugees from CAR.

Escalating violence

Violence between the Seleka rebel coalition (mainly Muslim) and the anti-balaka (Christian militia), which included waves of ethnic cleansing, has divided CAR over the past year.

As conflict spreads and intensifies in the Central African Republic, dozens of civilians are being killed and wounded.

download Jovachi Mongonou had both legs amputated after he was injured by a shell in the Central African Republic.

Thousands are being forced to flee for their lives and are receiving little to no humanitarian assistance, according to the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

“Our teams have witnessed summary executions and have found mutilated bodies left exposed to terrorise populations. Civilians are traumatised and many have fled to the bush where they are surviving on whatever they can find,” René Colgo, MSF’s deputy head of mission said.

Announcing the funding, Coveney said:

Violence, coupled with longstanding underdevelopment and poverty, has had a devastating impact on countries of the Lake Chad Region and Central African Republic, resulting in suffering and unimaginable trauma for the people of these regions.
Ireland strongly condemns violence perpetrated against innocent people.

In 2016, Ireland provided €5.8 million to those in need in the Lake Chad Region.

With reporting by Gráinne Ní Aodha

Read: Ireland gives a further €6 million in aid to alleviate suffering in Yemen and Iraq

More: Three-year-old girl shot in escalating Central African Republic violence

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    May 26th 2019, 9:07 AM

    This column is fastly becoming the Journal’s highlight of the week.

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    May 26th 2019, 9:20 AM

    @Crocodylus Pontifex: anseo anseo

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    May 26th 2019, 9:23 AM

    @Peter Gavin: chloisteáil chloisteáil

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    May 26th 2019, 11:19 AM

    @Peter Gavin: yep!

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    May 26th 2019, 12:20 PM

    Aontaím leat ‘s leis an Coiste Téarmaíochta gurbh álainn an aistriú sin; ach tá seans maith go mbeidh daoine ag gearán faoi an bhrídeach buile, agus iad measca leis an bhrídeach _atá ar_ bhuile agus cúis maith aicí?

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    May 26th 2019, 9:24 AM

    Pop the bonnet off the word, not of the word. Right? You don’t pop the bonnet of the car do you. Just sayin.

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    May 26th 2019, 9:36 AM

    @Darragh Henry: You do pop the bonnet of the car actually. You don’t take the bonnet off.

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    Mute Sean
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    May 26th 2019, 10:22 AM

    @Darragh Henry: Not sure what you be up to, but yes, most people pop the bonnet of the car. Taking it off completed just seems like a lot of work.

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    May 26th 2019, 1:56 PM

    @Darragh Henry: Schools back tomorrow. Just sayin’.

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    May 27th 2019, 5:40 PM

    @Sean: Tis only 4 little nuts holding it on

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