Brussels, 28/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - Upon the request of the African Union, Sudan may be the first country to benefit from the support facility for African peace-keeping operations. The support facility has been earmarked EUR 250 million from the European Development Fund (EDF).
The African Union's Peace and Security Council, operational since January 2004, has decided that the serious nature of the crisis in Darfur (Sudan) justified making the first use of the peacekeeping facility, which is also up and running now. European Development Commissioner Poul Nielson reconfirmed this in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 25 May at the ceremony to launch the new pan-African body, which has a very broad mandate for preventing, solving and managing conflict in Africa.
The humanitarian crisis at Darfur is on the agenda of the Dublin Development Council on 1 June (see yesterday's Europe, p.12), when EU ministers will take the opportunity to discuss the option of making use of the peace facility for Sudan. On Friday, Commissioner Nielson's spokesperson told reporters that they were waiting for a formal request from the African Union for funds for a peacekeeping operation under African command in Sudan. The procedures then require the agreement of COPS, followed by the EDF Committee. We do not yet have an idea of how much funding will be requested, but expect to know more next week, explained the spokesperson.
The support facility for African peacekeeping operations is funded in part from funds allocated to the African countries that form part of the ACP group (of African, Caribbean and Pacific states) under their partnership with the EU as part of the Cotonou Accord. The EUR 250 million initially earmarked can be mobilised to fund the costs for African countries of deploying peacekeeping forces in one or more African countries (costs such as troop transport, board and lodging for soldiers, capacity development, etc.) but can never be used for military or arms spending as such.