EU ups food aid to Myanmar after Kachin rebel spike

(BRUSSELS) - The EU said Saturday it is upping mainly food aid to Myanmar after clashes between state troops and ethnic Kachin rebels which trapped children in a remote area.

The European Commission said it was earmarking three million euros ($4 million) on top of 45 million in humanitarian aid awarded over the past two years.

Fighting in Kachin, near the northern border with China, erupted in June 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire crumbled. It has displaced some 100,000 people.

The EU executive said the new funds would go essentially on food aid in Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan states.

"Thousands of people have lost their homes and are living in dire conditions," said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.