Bono Scolds G8 Over Africa Aid

Bono has called for an emergency session on Africa at next month’s G8 summit in Heiligendam because only the U.K. and Japan are living up to the promises of the 2005 Gleneagles agreement.

He appeared to draw many positives from his May 14th talks with Germany’s Social Democrats’ leader Kurt Beck, whose party makes up half of chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government, but returned to the subject a few days later.

In an interview with the U.K.’s Guardian, Bono chastised some of the G8 nations for dragging their heels over aid to Africa.

"Telling lies to Bob [Geldof] and me is one thing. Putting their signatures on a G8 communiqué and lying to their citizenry is another matter. Breaking promises to the most vulnerable people on earth is real infamy," he told the paper.

Representatives of some of the G8 governments have said their countries only made the financial promises on Africa because they felt sorry for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair after the 7/7 terrorist attacks, according to the Guardian. The London bombs went off a day before the Gleneagles agreement was signed.

Chancellor Merkel has pledged a strong focus on Africa at next month’s summit: "We know that we can really help with our resources – and we want to show to this continent our understanding of freedom, justice and solidarity is not limited to us, but goes for the whole world."