| Fact Sheet Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Washington, DC February 17, 2005 U.S.-EU Cooperation on African CrisesAs two of the largest donors of assistance, the United States and the European Union coordinate and cooperate closely on humanitarian, development and security assistance worldwide. In Africa, over the past year, that cooperation has included assistance to Uganda, Sudan (including Darfur), Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
The United States and the European Union are working to support Africa’s efforts to expand peace and prosperity across the continent. Together, we are engaged in ongoing discussions with African organizations and governments regarding best practices in post-crisis transition countries, with an emphasis on good governance principles, democratization, and the linkage between security sector programming and development. Together we have been working to strengthen the African Union and other regional organizations that aim to improve stability in Africa, and are collaborating on the G-8/African Union Action Plan to Enhance Capacity for Peace Support Operations. The United States and the European Union have consistently promoted regional stability in Africa. Together, we have supported the African Union’s transformed Peace and Security Council and several peace-keeping operations in Africa, as well as security sector reforms in post-conflict countries. We are committed to continue to assist African peace support operations. Through its "African Peace Facility," the European Union has pledged $310 million. The United States intends to commit $264 million to enhance Peace Support Operations capacity and support ongoing operations in Africa, and another $115 million for security sector reform in Liberia and Sudan for FY 2004-2006. The past year has been especially challenging with respect to crisis-specific efforts for the donor community, and the United States and the European Union have worked very closely and constructively to provide assistance to several countries under extremely difficult circumstances. In April 2004, the United States and the European Union strengthened donor cooperation by undertaking a joint monitoring mission to assess conditions for the return of displaced Burundians. Building upon the success of this mission, we undertook a similar mission in February 2005 to Liberia and Guinea to evaluate the international effort under way to create conditions to make it possible for Liberian refugees and international displaced persons to return to their homes and reintegrate. In the two-year period 2004-2005, the United States will contribute approximately $27.8 million to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other international organizations for refugee repatriation and reintegration in Liberia, $32 million for the care of Liberian refugees in neighboring countries, $23.5 million towards the needs of internally-displaced persons within Liberia, and approximately 58,000 metric tons of food valued at $41.5 million. Our most prominent efforts, however, have been in Sudan, where we have been working closely together on planning for reconstruction efforts in southern Sudan and in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Darfur. During fiscal years 2003-2005, the United States has provided more than $545 million in humanitarian assistance for Darfuri refugees, including the 213,000 who fled to Chad. The last two years also required particularly close U.S.-EU cooperation and coordination to respond to the southern African and Horn of Africa (Ethiopia and Sudan) food security crises. The United States and the European Union are partnering with other donors to facilitate an Ethiopian economic growth path so the famines of the past will not be repeated. The United States views its assistance as an effort to put countries on the path to stable political development and long-term economic prosperity.
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