Meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 14 April, the European foreign affairs ministers agreed on the need for greater European involvement with African countries, concerned about the influence of foreign powers in Africa. The continent, plagued by major crises, is also faced with a drying up of US humanitarian funding (see EUROPE 13617/5).
“We definitely have something to offer”, the High Representative of the Union, Kaja Kallas, said after the meeting, referring to the influence of Russia and China in a region rich in natural resources.
The EU-African Union Ministerial Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday 21 May, offers some prospects. According to several European diplomats, the establishment of a mechanism to monitor the commitments made by the African Union with the EU is supported by several Member States with a view to this Ministerial meeting (see EUROPE 13618/5).
Sudan. However, the discussions focused primarily on the crisis in Sudan, at a time when an international aid conference organised by France, Germany and the United Kingdom will be taking place in London on Tuesday 15 April. The EU will be represented by the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Hadja Lahbib.
On Monday, the European Commission announced the mobilisation of €258 million in new humanitarian funding to support populations affected by crises in East, West and Central Africa in 2025.
Of this amount, €107.5 million will be allocated to the wider Horn of Africa region, in particular Sudan (see EUROPE 13619/20).
In West and Central Africa, €150.6 million will be devoted to helping people in countries affected by chronic instability, particularly in the central Sahel and around Lake Chad. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)