Japan donates $8,7 mln to AU force in Darfur

May 16, 2006 (TOKYO) — The Japanese government decided Tuesday to provide about $8,674,000 (about 963 million yen) in emergency grant aid to support the activities of the African Union aimed at resolving the Darfur conflict in western Sudan.

The money will cover costs arising from the activities of the African Union Mission in Sudan such as publicity efforts, humanitarian assistance and peace negotiations, the Japanese Foreign Ministry, said.

It will also support the work of the Darfur integration task force set up within the African Union to oversee the overall situation involving the conflict, which erupted in 2003, and support the mission’s activities, Kyodo news agency reported.

The aid, decided by the Cabinet on Tuesday morning, is the first specific step in Japan’s contributions to help resolve the conflict, which Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced during his trip to Africa from late April to early May.

Koizumi unveiled the Japanese government’s plan to contribute about $8.7 million to support activities aimed at resolving the conflict and about $10 million in medical support.

(ST)