Paul Kagame, Rwandan president and chairperson of the East African Community | Credit | The New Times

The chairperson of the East African Community has urged South Sudan to pay its annual contribution if it wants to continue to benefit from the economic bloc.

Paul Kagame said the region cannot continue to permanently carry the financial burden of partner states who do not honor their remittance obligations.

South Sudan and Burundi are the two countries said to have not cleared the arrears to the economic bloc.

All member countries are required to pay $8 million annually to the East African Community as contributions.

But by June 2020, South Sudan owed the community a total of $27.8 million.

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Burundi had arrears spanning two years, totaling $15 million.

In July, the East African Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to expel and suspend the two countries who have defaulted on their yearly payments

The furious MPs said they were unable to pass this year’s budget without contributions from South Sudan and Burundi.

Employees of the East African Legislative Assembly were also not paid their June salaries, while members of parliament had gone three months without their full pay as the cash-strapped institution scrambles to put together its 2021 annual budget.

The final resolution for sanctions against South Sudan and Burundi was to be determined by the East African Heads of State.

In an exclusive  interview with the East African website on Monday, Paul Kagame admitted that things could fall apart for the trading bloc unless urgent measures are taken to repair emerging cracks.

“I support that we all get up to date in terms of payment. We cannot run an organization that brings us together without having to pay the bills,” he said.

Kagame believes South Sudan and Burundi are capable of meeting their financial obligations so that its citizens can benefit fully in the bloc.

He called for better co-ordination in building infrastructure and specifically the public health infrastructure.

Kagame stressed that the coronavirus pandemic has worsened the trading conditions in the region, and this requires cooperation in developing good healthcare systems and strong economies.

“We are not going to have a perfect situation, but we will get the best of everything working together,” he stressed. “We must allow for flexibility but also remember we are dealing with people’s lives.”