United States Commits $116 Million at Sudan Donors Conference

The United States maintains a strong partnership with the African Union on the Darfur issue, and we commend the efforts of the AMIS peacekeepers and their leaders. Conference participants expressed broad agreement that the transition of the AMIS to a United Nations Mission should go forward as soon as possible. They universally called for all parties in Sudan to respect the cease-fire agreements and to halt all hostilities.

The Brussels conference, organized by the European Union, together with the United Nations and the African Union, brought together representatives of the African Union, the United Nations, the EU, NATO, the Arab League, Canada, Norway, and the United States, and was chaired by EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. In addition to Assistant Secretary Frazer, the United States was represented by Ambassador Cameron Hume, Chargé d’Affaires in Sudan. The conference provided an opportunity for the international community to reaffirm its support for the Darfur Peace Agreement and to demonstrate its financial and practical support for AMIS and its intention to transition AMIS to a UN peacekeeping operation when the AMIS mandate expires at the end of September.

The U.S. commitment of $116 million in assistance to AMIS through the end of September 2006 was the largest new pledge of support made at the conference. It comes in addition to $247 million in U.S. contributions to AMIS since 2004. The $116 million will be used to continue current base operations and support through the end of September 2006, to train and equip African Union troops to United Nations standards, to airlift rotating battalions, and to build and maintain camps for two additional battalions. Overall, the United States has provided over $1.6 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance in Darfur.