Four African nations suffer U.N. voting ban over non-payment of dues

Four African countries have lost their voting rights at the the United Nations General Assembly. The vote ban is over their lack of payment of membership dues.

A Voice of America journalist, Harun Maruf, disclosed the information which affects his native Somalia and Guinea Bissau in West Africa. The other two affected countries are island nations of Sao Tome and Principe and the Comoros.

In the specific case of Somalia, the amount in question us said to be in the region of $2 million. Somalia and Guinea-Bissau are represented at the ongoing UNGA by their respective Prime Ministers – Hassan Ali Khaire and Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

The General Assembly voted last fall to give exceptions to the four countries affected by the ban. At the time it had voted to suspend Libya and Venezuela from voting for the 2016 – 2017 session due to non-payment of dues.

U.N. dues reports indicate are binding on all 193 member states and is calculated according to factors including national income.