Ugandan soldiers in Somalia operations have not been paid for several months, but revelations that Uganda’s Central Bank is holding the money since the beginning of this month will spark rage and grumbling among the rank and file of the peacekeeping troops.
The 6,223 Ugandan soldiers in Somalia are due to receive salary arrears’ covering the last nine months, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala has said.
“The African Union has transferred to Bank of Uganda over US$ 4.9million (18 billion Shillings), being arrears payment for our troops serving in Somalia to cover the period of January to September 2016.” Gen Wamala said adding that the delay in the payment was beyond the Uganda Government control.
Soldiers under Amisom are paid a mission allowance of $1,028 (about Shs3.7m) every month.
TheUgandan could not readily get a comment from Ms. Christine B. Alupo. Director Communications being a weekend.
Uganda has three Battle Groups in Somalia, including Ugabag 14, 15 and 16, whose detach in Janaale was attacked on Tuesday by al-Shabaab, who inflicted heavy casualties on the Ugandan peace troops.
For Ugandan Amisom soldiers under Ugabag 15, which deployed in Somalia in October last year, have not been paid for five months.
The new announcement means that the mission that costs about $500 million annually could pay up arrears owed to personnel since January.
But it does not cover for the uncertainty that faces the mission in future.
In January, the EU cuts its annual allocation to Amisom by 20 per cent, claiming budgetary constraints and the emergence of other conflicts on the continent had thinned its Africa Peace Fund.
Those cuts were to take effect from June although EU did not release any money from January.
But it made the AU to demand the United Nations to plug the deficit as soldiers missed part of their allowances. The UN has not yet agreed to fill the hole but has refused to convert Amisom into a peacekeeping force.
In June, EU’s envoy to the African Union, Gary Quince, told the Nation that a shortage of funds was the reason behind a pile of unpaid allowances.
“Funding cuts means there is a shortage and that has taken time to get the necessary approvals to release the money,” the diplomat said in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, adding: “It means decision-making takes long but we hope to get funds in a couple of months.”
Uganda has the highest contingent of 6,223 soldiers, Burundi (5,432), Ethiopia (4,395) and Djibouti (2,000)
