EU releases 85 million euros in Syrian humanitarian aid

BRUSSELS - Agence France-Presse

Syrian children refugees, who flock by dozens in Turkey each day, fleeing the civil war in their country, stand on October 4, 2013 at a makeshift camp in Ankara, where they arrived three months ago. AFP Photo

The European Commission on Monday said it would provide 85 million euros ($120 million) in humanitarian aid to help people caught up in Syria's civil war.
 
The funds are part of a 400-million-euro pledge following a UN appeal made in June, which has proved difficult to finance amid problems with a European Union budget over-run.
 
Nearly half the money (40 million euros) is to go on UNICEF-led health and education programmes in Syria, another 40 million euros will go towards helping some 500,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. The remaining five million euros will allow Syrian students to follow Erasmus degrees at European universities.
 
The EU says it has so far mobilised 1.9 billion euros in relief aid since the Syrian crisis began in March 2011.
 
It says five million Syrians are internally displaced, with another two million having fled the country.