AU, UNAMID sign $3m funding agreement for Darfur peace projects
May 25, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – The African Union (AU) and the joint AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) signed an agreement on Saturday under which the AU will provide almost $3 million in funding for a variety of humanitarian, development and peace-building projects in the conflict-torn region in western Sudan.
These funds were originally part of a $10 million donation from the Japanese government to support projects for this purpose and will be administered by the Trust Fund for the Support of Lasting Peace in Darfur.
The agreement was signed at the AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on the margins of a summit coinciding with 50th anniversary celebrations of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) – later replaced with the AU in 2002.
El-Ghassim Wane, director of the AU peace and security department, signed the agreement on behalf of the AU Commission, while Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the AU-UN joint special representative for Darfur, signed on behalf of UNAMID.
Since the expulsion of 13 foreign aid groups from Darfur in March 2009, the hybrid mission has played an increasingly important role in transporting and distributing humanitarian assistance and food to civilians in war-affected areas.
Almost 2 million people are estimated to have been displaced by the 10-year-long conflict in Darfur, which erupted in 2003 when mostly non-Arab rebel fighters took up arms against the Sudanese government and its allied militia.
UNAMID forces were deployed in 2008, with the protection of civilians as its core mandate. It remains the largest peacekeeping mission in the world, employing over 20,000 personnel on the ground.
The mission has faced criticism in recent months that it was not doing enough to protect civilians caught up in the conflict. As the increase of tribal fighting may force the UNAMID to reconsider the redeployment of troops and its priorities.
In March, the mission further announced it was revamping its protection strategy for civilians due to an increase in the number and severity of incidents of violence in the region during the past year.
(ST)