Due to the dire humanitarian situation following the series of armed clashes in Southern Philippines, the European Union (EU) is providing €500,000 (P29 million) to assist the victims of the ongoing conflict that forced about 66,000 people to flee their homes specifically in the hardest-hit areas in Maguindanao province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In a statement, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said the funding will help EU partners on the ground to step up their support and ensure that crucial assistance is provided to those most in need.

“The recent violence in Mindanao has caused the already dire humanitarian situation in the area to worsen, with many more forced to live in displacement, adding to those already affected since the start of the conflict in 2017,” Lenarčič said.

EU’s existing humanitarian partners – Action Against Hunger, CARE International and Oxfam International will receive the funding to deliver much-needed assistance to those most affected.

The assistance focuses on providing food security as well as ensuring access to clean water, sanitation and good hygiene practices. Other essential relief items will also be distributed.

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) of the European Commission will make the funding available.

The latest spate of violence that broke out in early May in the western town of Datu Paglas caused damage to infrastructure and shelters, leaving over 30,000 people displaced in dozens of displacement sites, according to an EU report.

The clashes came only a few weeks after the fighting in March in the same area that forced more than 66,000 people to flee their homes. The volatile security situation makes it difficult for the displaced to return homes and restore their livelihoods.