Summary: May 13, 2005: Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the CFSP, to meet with the Chairman of the African Union Commission Alpha Oumar KONARE Tuesday 17 May 2005 (Brussels)
Javier SOLANA, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), will meet with the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar KONARE, on Tuesday 17 May 2005.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to talk about the co-operation between the African Union and the European Union. Of particular importance will be as well the latest developments on the African continent, notably in Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. Discussions will also focus on the current situation in Darfur and on the functioning of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS).
EU COUNCIL SECRETARIAT Factsheet on EU response to the Crisis in Darfur
EU Response to the crisis in Darfur
A - Main components of EU response
The EU has been at the forefront of international assistance backing up efforts led by the AU to address the crisis in Darfur that has been raging since 2003. The main components and instruments of the EU's support have included the following:
- The EU has mobilised a total €570 million in response to the Darfur crisis - broken down as €445 million for humanitarian assistance including food aid (of which €258 million are from EU Member States and €28 million are for Darfur refugees in neighbouring Chad); €3 million in support of the political process and €129 million as contributions to the CFC and AMIS.
- The EU has supported human rights inquiries and called for an end to impunity in Darfur - on 26 July 2004, it supported calls for the creation of an international commission of inquiry into human rights violations. The EU welcomed the International Commission's findings, submitted to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 25 January and condemned the crimes described in the report. The EU has stressed the importance of terminating impunity in Darfur and has been the prime mover behind
United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSC) 1593 which refers the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court.
- The EU supports the efforts of UN Special Representative (SRSG) Jan Pronk to ensure compliance with Security Council resolutions (1556, 1564, 1574, 1590, 15911*) - EU Heads of Mission in Khartoum participate in the Joint Implementation Mechanisms established by the GoS and the SRSG to supervise compliance with these Resolutions.
- The EU has helped broker the cease-fire arrangement - through its active participation in the N'djamena talks that led to the signing of the cease-fire on 8th April 2004 and to the agreement on the monitoring mechanism (the Cease-fire Commission (CFC) led by the African Union (AU) - see below) signed on 28th May in Addis Ababa. €475,000 were funded from the EC's Rapid Reaction Mechanism to facilitate negotiations.
- The EU is participating in and co-financing observation of the cease-fire - through involvement of EU military personnel (including senior-ranking officials) in planning the CFC. The EU co-chairs the CFC and is a member of the Joint Commission established for the political supervision of the cease-fire. €12 million are funded through the African Peace Facility with additional co-financing by ten EU Member States.
- The EU is contributing to the expanded version of AMIS in Darfur - through military technical assistance and logistical support to enhance the operational effectiveness of AMIS. €80 million have been mobilised from the African Peace Facility complemented by bilateral contributions in cash and in kind from EU Member States (approximately €30 million including contributions to the CFC). Following a request from the AU, 8 military experts and 1 civilian police expert are
supporting the management of AMIS. These experts have been seconded by the governments of Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. EU technical assistance has also been deployed to support the AU in enhancing its Situations Centre. Furthermore, political-military, military and police experts took part in the joint AU-UN-EU-United States assessment mission in March 2005. The mission identified a series of measures to enhance the operational
effectiveness of AMIS including, inter alia, (i) a restructuring of the chain of command, (ii) streamlining the relationship between the CFC and AMIS and (iii) improving logistical support. Further talks between the EU and AMIS on next steps are ongoing.
- The EU provides political, diplomatic and financial support to the negotiation process - through a sustained EU interaction (at all levels: from the highest political level to more technical/operational ones) with the Government of Sudan (GoS), rebel movements and the principal international stakeholders in order to encourage dialogue and to facilitate a political settlement of the conflict. The EC's Rapid Reaction Mechanism contributed €850,000 alongside funding from Sweden (€1
million), the Netherlands (€300,000), Germany (€250,000) and Italy (€32,000).
B - Additional Background on the Conflict
In 2003, fighting broke out between two local rebel groups -- the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) -- on the one side, and Arabic speaking militia (the Janjaweed) supported by the Government of Sudan (GoS), on the other. The conflict escalated progressively causing a major humanitarian crisis affecting 2.45 million people, including undetermined human losses; destruction of villages, crops and livestock; 1.85 million internally displaced
persons (IDPs) and refugees who fled across the border to neighbouring Chad; heightened vulnerability, as testified by the large caseload of deaths by diseases that under normal circumstances are preventable.
C - Summary Information on the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)
Since the conclusion of a cease-fire in N'djamena on 8th April 2004, political efforts have continued in order to stabilise the situation, guarantee access for humanitarian assistance and conclude a final peace deal. Nonetheless, the situation remains very fragile and in June 2004, the African Union (AU) deployed a small observer mission -- the Cease-Fire Commission (CFC). This was supplemented in October by a larger mission (AMIS II) with a new mandate for pro-active monitoring. Once
fully deployed, AMIS II will involve 3320 staff. CFC and AMIS are also actively engaging with the parties in order to defuse tensions and to broker local security arrangements in an increasingly fragmented political-military situation. On 9th January 2005, the SPLM/A and the GoS signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Since this date, AMIS has started to secure areas which all parties have agreed to demilitarise.
The operational capacity of AMIS has recently been enhanced by the following measures:
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