Europe will give tens of millions in additional aid to the cash-strapped African Union when European Union commissioners make a landmark visit to the bloc’s headquarters next week, officials said on Tuesday.
As the pan-African body struggles to keep afloat and expand its peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, the European Commission will donate â,¬55-million to support AU institutions, they said.
The aid agreement is to be signed on Monday during the first-ever visit to Ethiopia and the Addis Ababa-based AU headquarters by the president of the commission, the EU’s executive arm, and 12 commissioners, EU officials said.
”The EU Commission will announce the signing of a â,¬55-million support programme for AU institutions,” said Tim Clarke, the EU envoy in Ethiopia. ”This is the largest contribution from any donor in this particular domain.”
The visit by EC president Jose Manual Barroso and the 12 other commissioners, which begins on Sunday, is aimed at ”deepening existing cooperation and partnership ties between the AU Commission and the European Commission”, he said.
The new money is intended to strengthen AU institutions through recruitment, capacity building and information technology and is not aimed at peacekeeping, Clarke said, adding support for those missions would be high on the agenda.
”We are very aware of the financial gaps [the] AU is facing for its peacekeeping missions,” he told reporters at a news conference.
”These issues will be discussed with the EU Commission delegation to see how we can respond positively to the requirements,” Clarke said.
The EU is the main financial contributor to the AU and has funded AU peace missions in Darfur, the Central Africa Republic and the Comoros Islands in an amount of about â,¬243-million.
The AU has faced by financial hurdles that have hamstrung its abilities to operate effectively in Darfur, where at least 200 000 people have been killed over the past three years.
On Monday, it announced plans to increase its 7 000-strong force to 11 000 but said deployment was uncertain due to limited resources. — AFP
