Brussels, 13/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 16 December, the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels will take stock of the situation in the Central African Republic. “It will assess the different contributions that the EU could propose to support AFISM [the African-led International Support Mission], the troops of which will be increasing to respond to the humanitarian situation through strengthening its emergency and mid-term aid. And it will assess what the EU can do to support the country's security reform and economic programme”, said a high-level EU official on Friday 13 December.
The Council conclusions will tackle these different aspects. The EU has so far mobilised €50 million on the African Peace Facility (part of the EDF) in support of AFISM. Humanitarian aid has been brought to €20 million and a humanitarian bridge has been launched between Bangui and Douala. France's President François Hollande and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel want the 28 EU member states to discuss the possibility of creating a permanent emergency fund to respond to this type of crisis in the future.
European Parliament resolution. In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament says it is “deeply concerned” by the total collapse of law and order in the Central African Republic, as well as by the absence of the rule of law and by sectarian violence. It “strongly condemns” the violations of humanitarian law and human rights. It calls on the international community to bring the necessary support to the proportional strengthening of the international presence, essentially African, of security forces, and to ensure that they can carry out their mandate. The EU and its member states should continue to support the effective establishment of the African capacity for immediate response to crises which was created in June 2013, the MEPS add. (AN/LC/transl.fl)