IMF approves six monthsdebt relief for 25 countries

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund approved relief on debt service for 25 member countries that are eligible for support from the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT), the IMF said.

The approval enables the disbursement of grants from the CCRT for repayment of total debt service falling due to the IMF over the next six months, with potential extensions, up to a maximum of full two years. 

The initial relief provided to these countries amounts to $213.4 million. 

The beneficiary countries are Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen

Further 4 countries are expected to request such relief in the coming weeks.