As OAU Sanctions Defaulting Nations "Mysterious Account" Settles Gambia's Arrears


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The Independent (Banjul)
September 28, 2001  
Posted to the web September 28, 2001  
Banjul, the Gambia  
An article published in the July - August edition of Jeune Afrique has drawn attention to what has been described as a mysterious account in New York apparently used to settle The Gambia's arrears to the Organisation of African Unity.
The article revealed that the mysterious account, which has some connections with The Gambia was the main source from where money was drawn to pay Gambia's arrears amounting to 4.6 million dollars.
The article explained that attention to the mysterious account came in the wake of a meeting by the board of OAU ministers in July, which the then Gambian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Momodou L. Sedat Jobe attended.
The magazine report revealed that Mr. Jobe had held brief for Morocco to return to the OAU seventeen years after it left it in protest against the organisation's recognition of the Republic of Arab Saharaouie.
However, Kelli Wallabita, Zambia's foreign minister who presided over the meeting retorted sharply "your intervention brings up a problem. The committee on arrears on contributions has remarked that you haven't paid your dues up till now. Therefore you are among countries that are under sanctions and do not have the right to speak." According to the report, Sedat in choking anger accused the meeting of anti-democratic behaviour. The Senegalese representative Cheik Tidiane Gadio had earlier supported Mr. Jobe's suggestion to discuss Morocco the magazine stated.
However, the chairman of the meeting objected to Mr. Jobe's suggestion to discuss Morocco's return as part of the order of the meeting, saying "if Morocco wants to comeback, it shouldn't impose condition. On the other hand we have conditions for her. She has to pay 6 million dollars in arrears of contribution.
Surprised Mr. Jobe turned to his Guinean neighbour to whisper, "I didn't know that Morocco has the same problem as us".
Kelli Walibita meanwhile made his ruling and decided that the question raised by Mr. Jobe's would not be maintained in the order of the meeting.
It was soon discovered that The Gambia's arrears have been settled from the account of a mysterious deposit in New York according to Jeune Afrique.
The Jeune Afrique report comes amidst plans by one Clark Enslin to transfer several millions of dollars to an account in New York to fund President Jammeh's election campaign in exchange for a status as Gambia's Ambassador-At-Large and Trade Attache.
It is however, not clear whether the account referred to by Mr. Enslin is the same mysterious account used to settle The Gambia's arrears to the Organisation of African Unity.
It was announced in July that The Gambia was undergoing sanctions from the organisation for not paying her annual contribution, which had accumulated to 4.6 million dollars in two years. The sanctions had included not being allowed to speak during meetings, not being mandated to vote during decision-making and barring nationals of defaulting countries from elective office.
Efforts by The Independent to contact Ansumana Ceesay the spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Department were unsuccessful as he was said to have been meeting with his permanent secretary.

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