Cairo, March 22: International donors at a conference in Cairo on Sunday pledged 850 million dollars for the reconstruction of war-ravaged Darfur, way short of the two billion dollars organisers had been expecting.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told the closing session that 746 million had been raised for the western Sudanese region, but more donations came after the end to bump the figure up.
“I was just told that the number went up to 850 million” after a 100-million-dollar donation from the European Union, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
The one-day conference’s organisers — including the 57-member OIC, Egypt and Turkey — had hoped to raise two billion dollars to develop the region devastated by seven years of war.
Countries that made pledges included Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Qatar, Morocco and Turkey, Abul Gheit said.
One participant said the donations were likely to be poured into projects directly “because they don’t want the cash to be in the hands of (Sudanese President Omar) al-Beshir”.
“The Darfur issue is mainly an issue of development,” Abul Gheit said as he urged donors to make significant pledges.
“We are convinced that the key is to improve development and raise the standard of living for the Darfur citizen,” he told delegates.
Recent agreements signed between the government of Sudan and rebel groups were “important and need to be implemented,” he said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also highlighted the importance of the agreements, but said a solution to the Darfur conflict was not just political.
Peace in Darfur “will not only be achieved through political agreements but also through humanitarian and development assistance,” Davutoglu said.
Sudan was represented by former Darfur rebel and now presidential adviser Minni Minawi, as well as ministers and senior officials.
Several countries refrained from making pledges citing security concerns.
“In the absence of proper conditions on the ground, our focus remains on humanitarian assistance,” a representative from Norway said.
Even host Egypt did not announce a pledge, though some participants said its role in Sudan goes “deeper than this conference.”
“Egypt does a lot for Sudan, through many channels. It is not a big surprise that it does not make a contribution at this conference,” an African participant said.
Qatar, one of the principal donors, proposed the establishment of a bank where funds would be poured and channelled to the six sectors agreed by Sudan’s government including agriculture, education, health, housing and water.
Aid to Darfur has so far concentrated on humanitarian and relief efforts, but organisers were trying to shift gear by working on a more long-term vision for Darfur through development and reconstruction projects.
The conference also sought to “provide an incentive to all Darfur movements to join the peace process” which has been taking place in Doha, the host said.
The Sudanese government recently signed two agreements with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), hailed by the international community as key steps toward bringing peace to Darfur.
The Cairo conference came three weeks before Sudan holds its first multi-party elections since 1986, in which veteran leader Beshir is seeking re-election as president.
The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum and its allies.
Over the last six years, the rebels have fractured into multiple movements, fraying rebel groups, banditry, flip-flopping militias and the war has widened into overlapping tribal conflicts.
The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died from the combined effects of war, famine and disease and more than 2.7 million fled their homes.
Many of the rebels enjoy direct and indirect foreign support that helped fuel the conflict, with some critics pointing the finger at France, which has a military presence in neighbouring Chad – also accused of arming the Sudanese rebels.
—Agencies