Sharm El Sheik, Egypt - The contributions sub-committee of the African Un ion (AU) has recommended to African ambassadors meeting in an ordinary session in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, to sanction seven countries that failed to pay their arrears of contributions to the AU as at 18 June, an official source told PANA Tuesday.
According to the sub-committee’s report “sanction against five member states should be maintained as there has been little or no attempt on their part to pay the arrears”.
Those countries are Cape Verde, the DR Congo, Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles.
Two other states - the Central African Republic and Guinea Bissau - could also be hit by sanctions for owing two years or plus in their debt arrears.
The report noted, however, that Cape Verde and the CAR partly paid their contributions but their balances exceeded their contributions for the two fiscal years.
However, the situation has not changed for Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles as they have made no payments for more than two years.
Only seven countries are up to date with their contributions -- Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mozambique , Lesotho and South Africa.
Of these seven, three - Angola, Burkina Faso and Kenya - made payments before they are due.
Twenty-seven countries are yet to pay their contributions this year.
Regarding the AU budget, the report noted that by 9 June, the continental body’s budget stood at US$ 37 million.
Sharm El Sheik - 25/06/2008