CAIRO: International donors at a conference in Cairo on Sunday pledged $850 million for the reconstruction of war-ravaged Darfur, way short of the $2 billion organizers had been expecting.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul 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 donation from the European Union, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
The one-day conference s organizers – including the 57-member OIC, Egypt and Turkey – had hoped to raise $2 billion to develop the region devastated by seven years of war.
Countries that made pledges included Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Qatar, Morocco and Turkey, Aboul Gheit said.
But 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 who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
The Darfur issue is mainly an issue of development, Aboul 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 Western 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, echoing the view of several Western diplomats in attendance.
Our presence here constitutes a political message, one Western diplomat told AFP, adding his country would not contribute pledges because of the uncertainty of how the money will be used or channeled.
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 told AFP.
Qatar, one of the principal donors, proposed the establishment of a bank where funds would be poured and channeled 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 organizers 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 Al-Beshir is seeking re-election as president.
Since ethnic minority rebels first rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in 2003, the Darfur conflict has killed about 300,000 people and left 2.7 million others homeless, according to UN figures.
Khartoum puts the death toll at 10,000.
