DURBAN, South Africa, Jul 6, 2002 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Organization of African Unity (OAU) has granted more than 1.7 million US dollars in humanitarian assistance to 13 member states in the past six months, according to an OAU report here on Saturday.
The OAU contributes aid money to the
countries that are affected by the problem of refugees and internally displaced
persons and natural disaster, said the report, which was submitted by OAU
Secretary General Amara Essy during the three-day OAU ministerial meeting
in Durban.
In July, the OAU granted a cheque of 200,000 dollars to each of the six southern African countries -- Zambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique -- for the food crisis caused by a devastating drought.
The other beneficiaries of OAU fund include Angola, Algeria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Senegal, which received 50,000 to 100,000 dollars respectively since February.
To support some African NGOs, the OAU also gave 10,000 dollars to IBUKA, a Rwandese umbrella organization for associations and individuals that support genocide survivors during the commemoration of genocide in April 2002, the OAU report said.
The 76th session of OAU Council of Ministers, the last one of its kind, is paving the way for the coming OAU summit on July 8 and the launch of the African Union on July 9.
Copyright 2002 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY.
Copyright (c) 2002 Comtex News Network
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 07/06/2002 09:23:19