Pledging conference raises US$292 million for AU force in Sudan

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 31 (PANA) — Partners of the African
Union (AU) have pledged some 291.585 million US dollars
to assist the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS), according
to figures released Tuesday by the AU Commission.

The pledges were made last Thursday at a conference organised
here by the Commission.

The largest financial pledge to AMIS has come from Canada to the
tune of 133 million US dollars. The European Union promised
77.4 million dollars and the United States,50 million dollars.

Other pledges were United Kingdom (12 million dollars), Germany
(1,290,000 dollars), France (2,580,000 dollars), Sweden (1,548,000
dollars), Turkey (50,000 dollars), Organisation of Islamic
Conference (250,000 dollars), League of Arab States (100,000
dollars), The Netherlands (8,127,000 dollars), Norway (5,160,000
dollars), Ghana (30,000 dollars) and Mauritania (50,000 dollars).

Besides the cash, donors have also pledged further assistance
in kind, details of which were being sorted out, a source
at the AU Commission told PANA.

Under AMIS, the AU is deploying troops to restore peace and
security in Sudan’s strife-torn western region of Darfur.

The Darfur conflict, which erupted in February 2003 has posed
the biggest challenge to the AU since its launch in July 2002.

According to conflict management experts at the AU headquarters,
the situation in Darfur is perceived as a test of the AU’s
capacity to resolve African conflicts and its determination
to fully implement its Constitutive Act principles.

While seeking political settlement of the conflict, the AU is
deploying troops, civilian police and other personnel under
AMIS as another strategy to meet the challenge of peace and
security in Darfur.

By 20 May, AMIS personnel in Darfur had reached 2,635 including
452 military observers, 1,732 members of the Protection Force,
and 413 civilian police.

During the first phase of deployment, scheduled to be concluded 31
May (today), AMIS is supposed to reach an authorised strength of
3,320.

The second phase would expand the mission to 5,887 military
personnel, plus 1,560 civilian police and a number of civilian
staff.

The AU Peace and Security Council has meanwhile, decided that AMIS
strength be beefed up to 6,171 military personnel, with an appropriate
civilian component, including 1,560 civilian police by the end of
September 2005.

At that level the Mission will cost over 465 million dollars for
one year.

The third phase would require a major increase of AMIS, estimated at
12,300 military, police and civilian personnel.

Meanwhile, AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare is due to
make a three-day visit to Sudan, from Thursday, during which
he is scheduled to tour AMIS sectors in Darfur, including the
Mission headquarters at El-Fasher, AU sources said.