Brussels, 13/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - Support for setting up centres of excellence for African police forces, for possibly putting in place a financial instrument for African Union (AU) led peacekeeping activities and the recent launch of the Amani Africa Cycle (EURORECAMP) to help train and “validate” the African Standby Force by 2010 form a raft of EU measures launched to enhance African independence in crisis prevention and management. On Friday 13 February, one year after his appointment and a week after the Amani Africa Cycle donors' conference, EU Special Adviser for African peacekeeping capabilities General Pierre-Michel Joana took stock of the EU-Africa peace and security strategic partnership.
The strategic partnership has three main chapters: - consolidation of the political dialogue between the European Union and the AU, embodied by the EU Special Representation (EUSR) to the African Union, based in Addis Abeba; - in the area of security, making the Peace and Security Architecture operation across the African continent by helping the AU to develop its own means of crisis prevention: EU support consists of advisory missions and assistance with regard to security sector reform (currently three including two in the Congo and one in Guinea Bissau), the setting up of an early warning system throughout the continent, police training as well as training for civilian competence in civil crisis management (problems of child soldiers, sexual violence, gender inequality, etc), by setting up multinational centres of excellence at regional level, as well as the setting in place of the Amani Africa cycle responsible for establishing sub-regional standby units composed of military and civil crisis prevention experts; - an attempt to set up a financing system to the service of the AU. In this last case, it will be a question of seeing to what extent it is possible to set up a foreseeable fund that would allow the AU to finance peacekeeping operations and the search for solutions to the various crises in Africa. The project, headed by the former president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, is currently in its assessment phase (first conclusions were presented last December) and it is still a matter of defining the objectives and the duration for which this fund, which is available to the African Union, would be operational.
The African Union, for its part, is also beginning to form closer links with the EU which is increasingly solicited to provide advisory services. Next week, a team of EU officers is expected to go to Addis Ababa to advise with regard to the AU management structure for Somalia. The AU has expressed the hope that European police officers will be sent to this country in conflict. The mission to reform the security sector in Guinea Bissau (SSR Guinea Bissau) launched one year ago with a view to providing advice for customs, justice and police reform should be extended over the next six months, while dialogue concerning the setting in place of EURORECAMP/Amani Africa is beginning to look better with the designation at AU level of a contact unit with the EU and recent adoption of the cycle scenario. The contributors' conference organised in Brussels on 6 February under the Czech EU Presidency allowed €1.8 million to be collected, out of the €4 million considered necessary for taking the cycle to a successful conclusion. Resources available are: €300 million as part of the African Peace Facility managed by the European Commission and intended to finance security and peace initiatives on the African continent, in line with the African ownership principle. In concrete terms, the AU will be free to allocate these funds in relation to its ad hoc needs and prior requests made with and approved by the Commission services. Other contributors such as the Netherlands (which promise a contribution of up to €300-500 million) or Belgium (contribution in equipment) have still to confirm their declarations as well as the United States, that was unable to attend the meeting. Contributors to the €2 million collected on 6 February include the EU's non-European partners such as Canada, the United Nations, Japan and NATO as well as Norway. (A.By./transl.rt/jl)