The European Union (EU) is to pay more than half the cost of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Sudans strife-torn Darfur region, EUs foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said in Addis Ababa.
– This mission has to be a success, Solana said after a meeting with Alpha Oumar Konare, the chairman of the AU Commission.
The AUs Peace and Security Council agreed last week to increase its protection force in Darfur from 390 to over 3.300 troops and civilian police in an effort to end attacks against civilians by armed groups.
The one-year mission will be made up of 2.241 troops, of which, 450 will be military observers, and 815 civilian police. There will also be 164 support staff.
Currently, around 300 Rwandan and Nigerian troops are already in Darfur to protect some 80 observers already on the ground.
The 53-member AU describes the new mission as a “peacekeeping operation”. It is mandated to “protect civilians whom it encounters and who are under imminent threat”, but the AU has emphasized that the protection of civilians is the primary responsibility of the Sudanese government.
The pan-African body estimates that its expanded operation in Darfur would cost 221 million US dollar for one year.
– Th EU is going to put in about 80 mio. euros (100 million dollar) and when you add that to what the member states are going to do – you will have more than half of the operational cost. We are very pleased to say that, Solana said.
In addition to the EU funding, Britain has pledged to contribute 25 million dollar to the AU mission, Solana said.
The strengthened force led by Rwandan troops should be in Darfur by early next month.
According to the UN, an estimated 70.000 people have died and 1,5 million have been forced from their homes in the Darfur crisis, which began in February 2003.
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
