EC to support peace initiatives in the Horn

The EC has allocated 2.6 million euros (about US $2.3 million) to support peace initiatives in Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia under its Rapid Reaction Mechanism (RRM).

An EC statement on Thursday made available to IRIN said the aid "is to provide rapid support to the negotiations on the future of Somalia, to assist in the demarcation of the Eritrean/Ethiopian border and to finance emergency mine-clearing operations to support the ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan".

According to the statement the programme, being under the RRM, will focus on highly visible actions demonstrating the importance the EC attaches to the initiatives currently being undertaken in these countries. The programme was additional to and supportive of other community programmes under the European Development Fund, it said.

The EC statement said the programme included a financial contribution to the initial phase of the reconciliation process in Somalia, which would start with an inclusive conference to be organised in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in May/June 2002. The EC's contribution would cover the main expenses for the first conferences, including possible technical assistance.

The programme would also include a contribution to a UN trust fund for the demarcation of the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and as a first contribution towards mine-clearing operations, and emergency mine-clearing operations in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan aimed at providing access to cities and water wells.

The statement said the RRM should be seen in the context of the of the EC's commitment to the countries of the Horn of Africa, where more than 130 million euros were disbursed. "The Commission will follow up these activities through the European Development Fund where over 1 billion euros is in the process of being programmed for these countries," concluded the statement.