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International donors pledged $315mn yesterday to help the African Union’s efforts to aid the Central African Republic (CAR), falling short of the $409mn annual budget for AU peacekeepers in the conflict-ridden country. |
Almost 60 international donors attend the pledging conference, which concluded a weeklong AU summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, to raise funds for peacekeeping operations and the organisation of elections in the CAR where thousands have been killed in the past 13 months.
The European Union pledged the largest sum with 45mn euros ($61mn).
“We are conscious of the urgent need to provide political and financial support to the new transitional government in Bangui,” said EU Africa director Nicholas Westcott.
The EU has made available a total of 200mn euros ($271mn) to the CAR since it was plunged into a humanitarian crisis in December 2012 when Muslim Seleka rebels rose up against the government in December 2012 and toppled president Francois Bozize, a Christian, in March 2013.
The United Kingdom promised $3.3mn to help cover the CAR’s humanitarian costs, raising the total amount of its donations to the CAR to $25mn over the past 13 months.
Japan pledged $3mn, Norway $1mn and Luxembourg $400,000.
“In this period of international economic crisis, these pledges have a special value. It’s together in unity that we will succeed,” said CAR Prime Minister Andre Nzapayeke after the results of the pledging drive was announced.
AU peace and security commissioner Ismail Chergui said he was “happy with the results” despite the funding shortfall.
Peacekeeping operations and the organisation of elections combined, the AU had drawn up a budget of $500mn, AU peace and security director El Ghassim Wane said ahead of the conference.
“We have a collective responsibility towards the people of the CAR to respond rapidly and robustly to prevent further atrocities and support long-term stability,” said UN deputy secretary-general Jan Eliasson.
“We must not let them down, we must not fail to prevent another huge tragedy in Africa,” Eliasson added.
More than 1mn people have been displaced in the gold- and diamond-rich nation, while the remainder of the CAR’s 4.6mn people are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the EU.
Since the March coup, the CAR has been ruled by two transitional governments while Muslim rebels have continued to clash with Christian vigilante groups.
Earlier yesterday, African countries had pledged more than $3mn to its crisis-plagued members as part of an African Solidarity Initiative meeting in Addis Ababa.
Nigeria promised to make available $2mn to 11 countries that the African Union identified as being in crisis.
Algeria pledged $1mn while Gambia pledged $50,000.
The 11 nations in need of financial support are Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Guinea Bissau.
The African Solidarity Initiative had raised $1bn during previous fundraising efforts.
