Brussels, 19/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - 200 million dollars is broadly the total of new money pledged at the international pledging conference for Darfur, in Brussels on 18 July - a result deemed encouraging by all the participants since it should allow the funding needs of the African Union mission in Sudan (AMIS) to be fully met until the end of September. It is a good start which encourages more, but the figures have to be analysed and clarified, stressed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, quoted by an official source. “We are here to ensure that the African Union has the resources it needs to carry out its critical work in Darfur. The lives of many thousands of children, women and men may depend on the outcome of our efforts. No hidden agenda drives us; only the urgent need of Darfur's people. United Nations peacekeeping forces - which will come primarily from Africa and Asia, with some additional, and much needed, support from developed countries - will come to Darfur not as occupiers, but as helpers,” said Mr Annan at the opening of the Conference.
The high point of the conference, organised by the EU, on the political and security issues of the crisis in Darfur, the announcement of contributions to AMIS was of huge importance to provide the mission with the financial means to fulfil its mandate until the end of September, or even beyond, and ensure the transition until the transfer to a UN peacekeeping mission, which could be deployed in January 2007 (see EUROPE 9235).
While the first part of the challenge (finding the estimated 170 million dollars needed to take the mission to the end of September, half of which had already been pledged before the conference) seems to have been met, there is still some distance to go towards finding the estimated 440 million dollars needed by the African Union for a strengthened AMIS to be able to extend its mandate until the end of December. Nonetheless, a goodly number of donors announced they would be able to find more money as soon as the date for the handover from AMIS to a UN operation was known. The ball is now in the court of the Sudanese government, which has to give the green light to the deployment of UN forces before the end of August. On Tuesday evening, participants seemed relatively optimistic, comforted by signs of openness from the Sudanese foreign minister Lam Akol.
“There is no solution, other than a political one, to the Darfur situation. We have congratulated the AU for the role it has played in Darfur. Its mission is a very delicate one. Without the AU, the situation would be catastrophic. We have emphasised that in the coming months, the handover to a UN mission will be necessary. We have argued for dialogue so that this handover can be made under the best conditions. We are pleased that the conference has ended with the promise of extending the Peace Facility for Africa and of strengthening AMIS. 200 million dollars is good, but there is still more to do. Over and above the €162 million already committed and the €50 million being made available by the Commission, I have announced an additional contribution of €30 million,” development and humanitarian aid commissioner Louis Michel told press. This further donation will take the European Union's total contribution to AMIS to €242 million. The initial donation to the Peace facility for Africa (€250 million from the European Development Fund) is, therefore, all but exhausted. Given that the €300 million already earmarked to fund this instrument over three years (2008-2010) will not be available until January 2008, finding money for 2007 is a matter of great urgency, Mr Michel said. Money was pledged notably by the United States (116 million dollars until the end of September), the Netherlands (€20 million new money, and more if needed), the United Kingdom (£20 million new money), France (€2 million in addition to the €5 million announced a few weeks ago, the Democratic Republic of Congo which announced a modest sum warmly greeted by all, China, Qatar and others. Mr Michel praised the international community's “unanimous consensus” on the need to act inclusively, to have a policy of stretching out one's hand to those yet to sign the Abuja peace agreement.
“Today we have the resources to see us to the end of September. But lots of offers of logistical help have not been included in this total and some countries have not given a precise indication, announcing, however, that they could provide support at the end of September,” said Alfa Oumar Konaré, President of the Commission of the African Union. Questioned about tangible signs giving hope that Khartoum would allow a UN mission, Mr Konaré replied that “the Sudanese delegation understood perfectly the concerns” expressed. “We must do all we can to implement the Abuja agreements. Very strong political decisions are required from the government of Sudan with regard to the UN and Chad, and decisions from us all to send a strong message to those who have not signed. A military solution would be catastrophic. We must not waste time,” he said.