Aid Agencies Urge Donor Support for African Union mission in Darfur

Posted: 20 July 2006

A group of leading aid agencies combined forces Tuesday to call for urgent action to end the continued violence and suffering in Darfur.

As a donor's conference started in Brussels, the aid agencies warned that the African Union force, supposed to be protecting people, was chronically under funded and unable to do its vital job.

At present, there are reportedly only enough funds to pay salaries for the operation until the end of July. According to the African Union, its mission in Darfur, known as AMIS, has a shortfall of more than $50 million for the April-through-September 2006 period. An additional $270 million is now required to fund the mission to the end of December 2006.

This is the first time the eight agencies—CARE International, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Oxfam International, and Tearfund, have spoken out as a group.

“While an enormous amount of energy is being spent debating what will happen in six months time, no one seems to have noticed that people are still being killed today,” said Denis Caillaux, secretary general of CARE International. “Many countries have still not given enough money to support the troops already on the ground. This lack of funding means patrols in and around camps are impossible or have been scaled back, and we are seeing people attacked, killed, or raped as a result.”

Due in part to a shortage of manpower and equipment, the mission’s planned 24-hour patrols in the camps do not exist, leaving people vulnerable at night. Despite some earlier efforts, patrols to protect women gathering firewood barely exist, and patrols on roads and to villages are sporadic. So far, the only donors to offer serious levels of support for the force are Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands.

“This is an international problem—one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world—yet only five donors seem to be properly engaged,” said Haroun Atallah, chief executive of Islamic Relief. “All rich countries must step up their support urgently if the disaster of Darfur isn’t to turn into an even worse catastrophe.”

The eight agencies warned that the security situation on the ground continues to deteriorate despite the recent peace agreement. The peace agreement gave the African Union force more responsibilities, which require more resources, even though the mission was already chronically under funded and failing to protect civilians.

“The African Union force is being set up to fail. It simply cannot be expected to fulfill its mandate without proper support,” said Barbara Stocking, director of Oxfam Great Britain. “The current scenario is a recipe for disaster. Donor governments must now put their hands in their pockets and fully fund the African Union force.”

The agencies called on donor governments to make generous commitments to support AMIS through December 2006.

Funds are needed to cover running costs, in particular food, medical care, and salaries of personnel, as well as more vehicles and armoured personnel carries. Night vision equipment is also needed so that 24-hour patrols seven days a week can begin in the camps.