Darfur “dominated” African summit, says Obasanjo

ADDIS ABABA, July 08, 2004 (dpa) — The crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur dominated the third African Union summit, which wrapped up on Thursday, the new chairman of the AU said.

President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, chosen to hold the AU’s rotating presidency, said leaders attending the summit agreed to deploy a force to protect AU observers and humanitarian workers in Darfur.

“We have stated clearly that the responsibility for dealing with the Darfur crisis is with the AU and the Sudanese government,” Obasanjo told a post-summit news conference.

However, other leaders said the force will have the mandate to protect civilians as well. Ghanaian President John Kufuor said civilians would be protected by the force, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.

In Darfur, pro-government militia have attacked villages in a brutal clampdown on a year-long rebel uprising, prompting hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Other key decisions made during the three-day summit included:

Agreeing to hold a regional summit of West African nations later this month to deal with the civil conflict in Ivory Coast.

Promising to launch within a year a campaign against the physical abuse of women and the recruitment of child soldiers.

Endorsing a three-year strategic plan for the AU. However, no agreement was reached on how to provide funding for the 1.7 billion plan.

“If we don’t have money, we won’t be able to get anywhere,” Obasanjo admitted during Thursday’s news conference.

Forty heads of state attended the summit in the Ethiopian capital, according to organizers.