By Nformi Sonde Kinsai
Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, H.E. Mbella Mbella, has refuted a Yaounde-based online publication of December 15, 2025, alleging that Cameroon has been suspended from the African Union, AU, for failing to pay its statutory contribution to the organisation.
In a press release No 00137/PL/D1/D10 of December 17, 2025; he said the “article states that Cameroon has been suspended by the African Union, notably, the suspension of its rights to vote and speak, due to delays in the payment of its financial obligations towards the organisation.”
The Minister added, “The article equally mentions that the supposed sanction has affected negatively, the activities of our country within the organisation notably our Presidency of the African Union Peace and Security Council for the month of November 2025. The said information has been widely circulated in other online media platforms.”
In that respect, the MINREX therefore reassured the national and international public opinion that Cameroon is not under any sanction by the AU.
“Our country continues to carry on its regular activities within this important regional body, and effectively chaired the Peace and Security Council during the month of November 2025, which is done on rotational basis. It should be noted that during Cameroon’s Chairmanship, some important issues discussed were the unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar and the kidnapping of school children by terrorists in the Far North Region of Nigeria, amongst other crisis affecting the continent,” Mbella Mbella narrated.
He stated that the participation of Cameroon within the AU, including its financial obligations, are being followed up carefully by the competent government services. He held that, despite the global financial challenges and the internal difficulties, Cameroon still respects its commitments towards its international partners.
According to MINREX, it is inappropriate to communicate about the functioning of the AU and the relationships with its Member States without having a good knowledge of them.
Meanwhile, in a note of clarification of December 16, 2025, on the supposed suspension on behalf of the Minister of Finance, MINFI, the Minister Delegate, Yaouba Abdoulaye said the elements on the payments of statutory contributions to the AU by Cameroon, is to enable MINREX assure a coherent and mastered diplomatic communication.
Bemoaning the fact that a letter of October 13, 2025, addressed to Cameroon’s Ambassador to Addis-Abeba went out of its administrative context, Yaouba said the correspondence was recalling that as at October 8, 2025, what Cameroon was owing in terms of its statutory contribution for the 2025 period was 2,803,988,75 US dollars.
He said, in conformity with the AU Executive Council decision of July 2025, such a situation temporarily exposed Cameroon to preventive sanctions amongst which was either effective suspension or exclusion from the ranks of the organisation.
He said, when the information was made known to the government, the Minister of Finance through the Directorate General of the Treasury, went ahead in all diligence on November 10, 2025 to issue two money transfer orders to the AU for a cumulated amount of FCFA 1,052,862,664; an equivalent of 1,848,348,84 US dollars. The Minister Delegate attached SWIFT messages to the letter attesting the payments.
“These payments enabled the immediate uplifting of the preventive sanctions evoked in the correspondence of October 13, 2025. This situation is confirmed by a correspondence of the AU referenced CDCP/AD4/2/18026.26; which also indicated that the remaining contribution for 2025 being expected from the Republic of Cameroon is 955,639,91 US dollars, without the mention of any sanction attached to the amount.
He said it is therefore clear that Cameroon has never been suspended from the AU, describing the information that was relayed on the social network as inexact, unfounded and of a nature to tarnish the image and credibility of the state.
However, some keen observers are of the opinion that Cameroonians are yet to feel the advantages of the country belonging to and paying huge sums of money in statutory contributions to an organisation such as the AU. One critic who spoke to The Post in Yaounde over the weekend said if an organisation like the AU is practically inactive in the face of a war of attrition going on in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon, then there is no need for the country belonging. He even proposed that Cameroon can step down to obtain the status of an observer and save the country’s resources.