The European Union says Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad region will benefit from its €102.5m humanitarian aid. Niger, Chad and Cameroun are other countries named in the humanitarian lifeline by Europe’s top bloc.

The European Union made the pledge during the third high-level conference on the Lake Chad Region in Niamey on Monday and Tuesday.

The aim of the conference was to facilitate regional, cross-border consensus around the required adjustments for effectively dealing with the prevailing challenges in the region.

According to the EU, the funding was geared towards solving problems around the acute food needs of households and communities affected by conflict as well as treating severe acute undernutrition in children under five.

The Lake Chad region encompasses far west of Chad and the northeast of Nigeria, and also extends to Niger and Cameroon. The region had been home to lingering conflicts in recent decades that had killed many, while many more had been left displaced.