Addis Ababa , 6 September 2013: The African Union (AU) received, on 4 September 2013 and amount of $ 1,000,000.00 (One Million US Dollars) from the Government of Sierra Leone, in honoring the pledge made by it s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Samura Kamara, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, H.E. Ernest Bai Koroma during the Donors’ conference on Mali, held in Addis Ababa, on 29 January 2013.
Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ambassador Andrew Gbebay Bangali, handed over the cheque to the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, who received it on behalf of the Chairperson of the Commission.
The pledge was made in response to the request by AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), at its 341 st meeting, held on 13 November 2012, to the Chairperson of the Commission, to mobilize adequate support for the African-led international efforts to help resolve the multidimensional crisis in Mali.
Sierra Leone joins other Afr ican countries and institutions, which include Gabon ($1m), Namibia ($1m), Nigeria ($5m) and CEN-SAD ($1m), which have already honored their pledges to the AU Trust Fund, which administers the financial support to AFISMA.
The AU extends its deep appreciation to these countries and institutions and urges others to also honor their pledges to the Trust Fund.
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