EU Parliament wants inquiry Into pay delays to Darfur troops
July 12, 2007 (STRASBOURG, France) — The European Parliament on Thursday stepped up pressure on the European Union to establish why African troops in Darfur have not been paid for months even though the EU has provided millions of euros (dollars) for the military force.
In a resolution, the EU assembly called for an in-depth inquiry into the delay in payments to the African Union force, which lawmakers said were embarrassing and had a negative impact on the soldiers’ morale.
The EU’s executive Commission, which has earmarked A282 (US$384 million) to support the mission since November 2004, said it has “looked into the matter” and concluded the AU had difficulties managing the contributions.
Further funds have been provided by the individual EU states, for a total of more than A400 (US$544 million).
“On the AU side, there is scope to increase management capacities. This is not surprising given the fact we are dealing with a relatively young organization, and that the sheer amount of money to be managed is enormous,” said Amadeu Altafaj, spokesman for EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel.
“At this stage, we don’t have any evidence that suggests misuse or fraud involving EU funds. All necessary measures have been taken in order to control the operations,” he said.
The AU mission to Sudan acknowledged in a statement that soldiers have not been paid for four months, but called on the EU to simplify the paperwork necessary for the funds to be released. The EU said its financial experts were helping the AU at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to “strengthen its financial management capacities.”
The undermanned and underequipped 7,000-strong AU force has been unable to stop violence in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million forced to flee their homes in nearly four years of fighting between the government and ethnic African rebels.
The violence has only increased since a peace deal was signed by the government and one rebel group last year. Other rebel groups rejected the deal and continued fighting.
A “hybrid force” of some 23,000 African and U.N. peacekeepers is to be deployed in Darfur to end the bloodshed. The Sudanese government for months resisted a push for the U.N. to replace the AU force, but finally agreed in June to a compromise deal for the U.N. to deploy jointly with the African Union.
(AP)