Qatar pledges $500m funds for Darfur

Qatar has pledged $500m in aid earmarked for reconstruction projects in Darfur, Sudan, during a donors’ meeting in Doha on Monday. "Qatar has pledged an amount of $500m as grants and contributions for rebuilding Darfur," said the gas-rich emirate's minister of state for cabinet affairs, Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud. In February 2010, Qatar had promised to establish a bank with a capital of one billion dollars to help develop Darfur. Other Arabic and Western states have also contributed to the reconstruction drive. Germany pledged €16m in aid at the conference as other delegates expressed their support for development in Darfur without announcing their contributions. Britain had on Sunday offered at least ?11m over the next three years to help communities to grow food and to boost skills for employment. United States officials backed Sudan’s peace process during Monday’s session, while French delegates told the conference its government had no mandate to contribute to construction in the troubled region. Sudanese Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Mohamed Hussein has meanwhile confirmed his army’s readiness to address hostilities with armed militias inside Darfur. Minni Erko Menawi’s Sudan Liberation Movement recently attacked Muhajariya and Bedwin, two areas in eastern Darfur, forcing civilians to leave the area. “The security situation in Darfur needs to be addressed urgently since the spread of rebel movements,” said Sudanese presidential official, Abdullah Ali Massar.