European celebrations / 50th anniversary of the signing of the Rome agreement

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) drew up on Friday a critical summary on the Africa politics of the EU at the half-time mark of the German EU presidency. „Germany has not so far used the chance of giving the EU in foreign affairs the voice which corresponds to its influence in Africa”, said the GfbV Africa correspondent Ulrich Delius. „The EU Africa politics is a disaster and remains far behind the expectations awakened by the Bundeskanzler Angela Merkel before she took over as president of the Council.” Europe is failing not only in the Darfur question. In Somalia too, in Chad and in the Central African Republic violence is escalating. Yet the EU does not manage to speak with one voice and to really support the attempts at peace. In Uganda Europe is simply turning a blind eye while the peace process is breaking down.

Particularly disappointing is Berlin’s failure to act in the light of the continuing crimes and the threatening collapse of the humanitarian aid in Darfur, since Germany took on a leading role in the years 2004/2005 in combating the impunity in western Sudan. Since the beginning of the genocide in February 2003 the Council of Europe has uttered in 19 statements its „concern” over the situation in Darfur. Concrete measures to put an end to the murdering have not however been taken. „The German EU presidency has had no other effect than the issuing of further completely fruitless speeches of concern, although the European Parliament called on 28th September 2006 and on 15th February 2007 for direct sanctions against those responsible for the severe violations of human rights in Sudan”, criticised Delius. Empty promises and words with no deeds to follow up are certainly not going to end the genocide in Darfur.

In spite of the great political influence of European countries the EU was not able to prevent the Darfur conflict from spreading to Chad and the Central African Republic. There the provision of humanitarian supplies to the Darfur refugees and the displaced persons is becoming more difficult all the time.

In Somalia also the EU has failed miserably in its attempts to achieve peace. Action was taken much too late to counteract the military intervention of Ethiopia, which stirred up war in its neighbouring country. Somalia is now sinking ever deeper into chaos and anarchy, for the EU was not able to bring the Somali provisional government to form a representative government bringing all ethnic communities together. The EU has also made too little use of its influence in northern Uganda to make clear to the conflict parties Europe’s interest in seeing an end to the war which has now lasted for 20 years.