Belgium gives €4m in humanitarian aid to Mosul

Belgium has released €4 million in humanitarian aid to the people of Mosul, Iraq, federal minister of development policy Alexander De Croo has announced.

A bloody tug-of-war wages on between the Islamic State, which seized the city as their own almost two years ago, and US-backed Iraqi military forces, endangering the lives of about a million and a half people living there.

The funds will be sent directly to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), active on the ground in Mosul and one of Belgium’s primary humanitarian partners.

"Hospitals are destroyed and there is a shortage of food, drinking water, electricity and medicine," said De Croo.

"The priorities of the Red Cross are very much in line with those of Belgian policy: offering protection and assistance to people affected by armed conflicts, ensuring access to healthcare and water and promoting international humanitarian law."

Belgium has made €12 million in humanitarian aid available to the people of Iraq this year, €5 million of which was sent to the ICRC.