A dip in spirits among the AU force, among whom are Ugandans is the last thing the organisation needs. FILE PHOTO
Sunday, January 17, 2010
“Soldiers are not happy because they don’t know what is going on,” said a source who preferred anonymity so as not to be identified speaking directly about army.
Uganda has lost 45 troops in Somalia while Burundi, the other only troop-contributing African country, has had 58 of its soldiers felled, mainly by mortar shells and suicide bomb explosions.
The two countries are the only countries that have responded to calls to send peace-keeping troops to make up the African Union Mission in Somalia – known by the acronym Amisom.
There are also issues about pay disparities between the Ugandan and Burundian troops, which have been quietly growing. According to sources familiar with the details, each soldier on duty in Mogadishu is expected to earn an average $750 (about Shs1.4 million).
The Ugandan government however, sources say, deducts $200 from its soldiers while Burundian authorities deduct $100 from their soldiers. This disparity in earning between Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers is causing anxiety among the Ugandan soldiers, sources say.
Uganda has a public record of military corruption over salaries captured by the high profile trial of senior military officers in the famous Ghost Soldier trials intended to clean up graft in the payment systems. It is also reported that the salary delay itself is a result of suspected corruption.
The African Union based in Addis Ababa has reportedly failed to correctly account for the millions of dollars contributed to the Somalia mission by among others the European Union, Britain, the United States and Norway.
Donor countries also contribute non-monetary support. The situation which has gone on for months is likely to be noticed by other countries which, like Nigeria, had pledged troops to Somalia.
According to a Nigerian officer who spoke on the sidelines of a US sponsored African Military meeting in Kampala this week, while Abuja is troop ready- the Executive has never signed off deployment in Somalia.
According to the Defence and Army Spokesman Col. Felix Kulayigye Uganda has been in talks with officials at the AU headquarters over the financial despair caused by salary arrears.
The delayed payment of the soldiers and low morale reported could have security implications for the mission which is facing a determined enemy in Somalia. Al Shabaab the Islamic militant movement fighting the Somali Transitional Federal Government is waging direct attacks on Amisom including terrorist attacks. Al Shabaab has also threatened attacks on the Ugandan and Burundian capitals.
However Col. Kulayigye, told Inside Politics that the UPDF cannot be demoralised because of money. “Not UPDF. We are not mercenaries in Somalia. Whereas money is necessary, it’s not absolute. We are in Somalia out of conviction, not search for money,” he said, “Yes, we are concerned, but not worried.”
Despite his positive attitude, other officers have in the past said low morale was prevalent amongst the troops.