<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is going to mobilize half a million euros to help the International Red Cross deal with the serious floods that the Sahel region is suffering due to the rainy season, which have affected more than half a million people in Mali and Niger alone. <span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">In addition, the Agency will mobilize another 275,000 euros in agreements with Spanish NGOs with this same objective.</span></span> </strong></h4> The AECID, through its Humanitarian Action Office (OAH), is closely monitoring the emergency caused by the recent floods that have affected several countries in the Sahel region. These torrential rains have caused devastating floods in Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, putting the lives of thousands of people at risk and worsening the already fragile humanitarian situation in the region. Given the seriousness of the situation, the Agency has activated a series of urgent response measures, in coordination with local and international partners, to alleviate the effects of this humanitarian crisis. On the one hand, the Agency will contribute half a million euros to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). The objective of this aid is to strengthen the response capacity of the Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations that are acting on the ground, mainly in Niger and Mali, given the prolonged impact and the growing need for assistance in the affected areas. In Niger, approximately 353,200 people have been affected by flooding, and the DREF has been activated with 300,000 Swiss francs to support the ongoing response. In Mali, some 75,000 people are affected, with vast areas flooded, and the IFRC has activated the DREF with a forecast of between 400,000 and 500,000 Swiss francs. These contributions are in addition to the one million euros already transferred this year to the aforementioned Fund to deal with this type of situation. In addition, this year the AECID has contributed 4.5 million euros to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, which has also been activated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to assist these countries. In addition, several development NGOs that have emergency agreements with the AECID will activate these agreements to respond to this crisis. Specifically, Acción Contra el Hambre and the Spanish Red Cross will mobilise 275,000 euros for Niger and Mali. AECID continues to work closely with other international actors such as the European Commission and donors such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium, which are also mobilising resources to deal with this emergency in the Sahel.
