Summary: 28 September 2007, Brussels - The European Commission will contribute more than €50 million to a joint UN and EU initiative in Eastern Chad and the North East of the Central African Republic. The Commission will support a police mission which will have the task of assisting in protecting the refugee camps near the Darfur border and in creating security conditions for the return of the displaced persons. The EC will finance substantial rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the zones of return for the displaced persons. Humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable people affected by the ongoing crisis will continue.
Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said: "Improved security in Eastern Chad and Central African Republic will make it easier for humanitarian organisations to bring vital aid to tens of thousands of vulnerable people and to create the conditions for displaced people to return to their places of origin. As it is the case for the Darfur region, there is no development without security and development aid has a direct impact on peace and stability."
Benita Ferrero Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy, commented: "This future ESDP mission will reflect the importance the EU pays to this part of Africa to alleviate the suffering of refugees and displaced persons. The joint operation of the UN and EU Member States allows us to use our resources more efficiently and to have more impact on the ground, through the training of local police and security especially in rural areas".
The EC will intervene in three key areas ranging from immediate humanitarian relief to long term development:
Humanitarian aid: In 2007, ECHO has allocated € 30.5 million to emergency humanitarian actions in Chad in a wide range of sectors in support of refugees and internally displaced persons as well as €4 million of humanitarian assistance and €4 million in CAR, covering the north of the country. The financial commitment for Chad is likely to be continued at the current level throughout 2008.
Support for the establishment of the 'Police Tchadienne de Protection Humanitaire': In the context of the EU and UN missions in Chad the UN will recruit, train and equip up to 850 Chadian police and gendarmerie officers and deploy them in the camps in Eastern Chad. Their task will be to ensure security in the camps in Eastern Chad. The EC intends to support this UN programme with up to €10 million from the Instrument for Stability.
Reintegration and rehabilitation: In 2008, the Commission will spend €13 million from the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) for development actions such as reconstruction, mediation and administrative capacity building that are necessary to improve security in the areas covered by the UN-EU mission. Further actions will be programmed under the 10th EDF (2008-2013).
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