Wow. It's almost like it...disappeared or sumthin...
STRASBOURG, France - European funds designated for the African Union mission in Darfur have not reached the undermanned and underequipped military force for months, leaving soldiers there without pay, officials said Tuesday. The African Union acknowledged the problem, but said the European Union requires cumbersome accounting impossible in a remote and violent region the size of France.
Yeah. It's them damn bookeepers!. And these bumpy roads make a lot of it fall off the trucks. And hungry crocodiles. There was a terrrible storm!
The European Commission has earmarked $384 million for the African Union since November 2004, and further funds have been provided by the individual EU states, for a total of more than $544 million. The European Union is investigating why its money has not been paid to AU soldiers, officials said Tuesday.
Ummmmmmmmm...I dunno
| Notice the reporter didn't bother to ask whether the funds were actually, you know, disbursed. Anybody bother to check an account balance? I'm reminded of Evita: "and the money kept rolling out in all directions ..." |
The African Union mission in Sudan said the soldiers' salaries have not been paid since February, but blamed the delay on administrative problems. The AU force lacks the logistical means and trained staff to distribute the salaries and write reports to account for the funds in Darfur, where communications are difficult, said Noureddine Mezni, spokesman for the mission.
Convienient, eh, Noureddine?
| I'll just bet the AU doesn't have staff to write reports. I hear they don't have staff to keep track of supplies that are delivered, nor can they tell you what they've done recently. They don't have staff to do much of anything, far as I can tell. |
A vicious circle, I tells ya!!!
The 7,000-strong AU force has failed to stop the violence in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have fled in nearly four years of fighting between the government and ethnic African rebels.
Maybe I'd tell them they're not getting paid because they're not doing their friggin jobs?
The EU has sent two experts to determine what happened to the funds sent to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia and the force's management in Nigeria, a European Commission official told The Associated Press. "We're aware of the complaints. Indeed, it is a serious problem," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.
...and maybe they'll cut us in on the deal.
| Nah, Euros always get their cut up front. They're really sophisticated that way ... |
...and if you can't trust an African despot, who can you trust?
A hybrid force of some 23,000 African and U.N. peacekeepers is slated to deploy in Darfur. The Sudanese government for months resisted a push for the U.N. to replace the overwhelmed AU force, but finally agreed in June to a compromise — the U.N. will deploy jointly with the African Union.
...so lock up your daughters, Darfurians.