Donors Pledge New Aid For Darfur Peace Force
Josephine Roque - All Headline News Staff Writer (AHN) - Major donors have promised to increase aid for the African Union (AU) force in Darfur. There are warnings that the volatile peace process is in jeopardy. The AU's diminishing funds had been given a boost at the donor conference in Brussels. The United States pledged $116 million while the EU will put in $30 million. Aid agencies and the EU had cautioned that the region is in peril. There are fears that the signed peace deal could be revoked. According to aid agencies, Western donors were letting down the African Union (AU) soldiers in Darfur who relied on their aid. Correspondents report that despite the signed peace deal, the security situation in Darfur has gotten worse. Most of the population has dismissed the deal and rebel movements continue to fight one another. Said Djinnit, from the AU, said the organization would need more support if it was to stay on until the end of the year. "The African Union has made that specific operation because of its commitment to peace to Darfur and to Sudan. It was aware of its limitations," he added. Eight agencies: Oxfam, Care International, Islamic Relief and Oxfam International released a statement saying that the 7,000 AU soldiers in Darfur are being set up to fail. The agencies have charged donors of treating Darfur's people like a bargaining chip, and specified that $300 million was ba |
