France hosts meetings on Mali's use of development aid

France said on Tuesday that the Euros 64 million (USD 82 million) fund to help rebuild war-torn Central African Republic (CAR) was showing positive results and three important projects had been launched.
The fund was set up by the European Commission, France, Germany and Holland last July and it has allowed for an injection of capital into CAR which has been wracked by sectarian violence for almost a year.
CAR's Muslim population has borne the brunt of the violence and hundreds of thousands of Muslims have been forced to feel their homes, many leaving the country to take refuge in neighbouring countries, mainly Chad.
"This euro 64 million fund has already made it possible to launch three initial projects which should directly benefit the populations, under transparent conditions: the first relates to the rebuilding of health services; the second aims to rehabilitate public infrastructure in Bangui using local labor; the third, in support of women, aims to help them strengthen their economic and social positions as well as their role in the process of dialogue and reconciliation," the French authorities said in a statement.
France has deployed over 2,000 troops in CAR to try to stem the violence and shore up a local, African peace-keeping force of around 7,000 troops. The EU has also sent troops there, mainly for training purposes.