Banjul, Gambia, June 28, 2006 – African Union (AU) member states owe the continental body about 93 million US dollars in contribution arrears, according to a draft report by the ordinary session of the contribution sub-committee.

Arrears as at 31 December 2005 amounts to 54 million US dollars, while uncollected contributions for the current year is around 39 million dollars, the report indicated.

It said some countries have for a number of years been sanctioned due to their arrears, citing Cape Verde, Central African Republic, DR Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles and Somalia.

The sub-committee recommended the maintenance of sanctions on these 11 countries, "since there is no improvement in the situation of their contribution arrears."

Some countries have given no reason to justify the non-payment of their contributions, which the AU uses to implement programs and run the secretariat of the continental body.

Only Somalia has asked for its contributions to be written off, mentioning difficulties resulting from the war, but the sub-committee has said it is incompetent to rule on such a request.

On the other hand, only 11 countries have paid their contributions up to date. They are Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), South Africa, Tanzania and Nigeria.

The contribution sub-committee revealed that Nigeria paid a voluntary contribution of 10 million dollars to the Union.

Source: PANA