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Representing the presidency of the African Union,
Nigerian Foreign Minister Olu Adeniji made an appeal for EU support,
during a press conference after the talks in Luxembourg. "We must take
initiative in resolving conflicts that have plagued our continent. We are
also conscious of the fact that we would need the collaboration of the
international community in being able to address these conflicts. And so,
I appeal to the European Union to, from time-to-time, give us the kind of
assistance we require," he said.
The African Union has about 2,200 peacekeepers in Sudan, where a bloody
conflict in the western Darfur region has claimed tens of thousands of
lives, and forced more than two million people to flee their homes. The
dispute pits government-backed nomadic Arab militia against local rebels,
in a struggle over power and scarce resources.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana says Africa can rely on European
help in dealing with security issues. "They can be sure that, whenever we
can, within our capabilities, which are not infinite, we will always be
helping them, as we have done it now in Sudan, we may do it in Somalia, in
all the difficult possible theaters that may come up in the continent of
Africa, that they can count [on], and will always have, the help, the
advice, the cooperation, from the security point of view also."
In January, Sudan agreed to a U.N.-mediated peace accord to end the
21-year war between the Arab North and the mainly Christian and animist South. More than two-million
people were killed and four million displaced by that conflict. But
analysts say aid money to rebuild the country may not flow unless violence
in Darfur also ends. Mr. Solana said he hopes peace can also spread to
Darfur.
"What could be important is that the North-South agreement will have an
impact on the East-West conflict. I hope very much that will be the case,"
he said. "The North -South agreement has been reached, there's a
peacekeeping force - in that case it is [from the] U.N. And, let us hope
that that also helps on North-South (means East-West). I think now
pressure should be put on both sides, on the rebels. And also on the
government of Sudan."
The United Nations has also given the International Criminal Court a
sealed list of 51 people suspected of war crimes in Darfur, where the
United States says genocide has taken place. |
