EU sends Lebanon $22M humanitarian aid to ease food crisis

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Commission announced on Thursday that the EU will send €20 million (almost $22 million) of humanitarian aid to Lebanon to ease the food insecurity exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“To support the most vulnerable segments of the population in Lebanon, the EU has allocated an additional €20 million in humanitarian aid to respond to rising food insecurity and other needs,” the EU executive body said in a statement.

The aid will be dedicated to the most vulnerable Lebanese people, as well as Palestinian and Syrian refugees living in the country.

Russia’s war on Ukraine and soaring food prices have aggravated the already difficult situation in Lebanon which has been facing a political and economic crisis for over two years.

The European Commission said the humanitarian assistance was particularly important because Lebanon imports 96% of its wheat from Ukraine and Russia.

In addition to the majority of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees, over 2.5 million people, including 2.2 million Lebanese, 208,000 Palestinians, and 78,000 other refugees need humanitarian aid in Lebanon, according to the latest UN figures.