Ugandan AU troops found guilty of killing civilians in Somalia

The Court Martial in Mogadishu sentenced two soldiers to death and three others to 39 years in prison for killing seven civilians in Goloweyn in August.

Human rights groups had accused Ugandan forces in Somalia of civilian killings before, but the soldiers were routinely exonerated in AMISOM's investigations.
AFP

Human rights groups had accused Ugandan forces in Somalia of civilian killings before, but the soldiers were routinely exonerated in AMISOM's investigations.

Five Ugandan soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia have been found guilty of killing seven civilians.

Two of the soldiers were sentenced to death, and the other three given 39-year prison terms each, according a statement from the AMISOM late on Saturday.

"After sitting from 2-12th November 2021 and reviewing all the facts including witness statements, the Court Martial on 12th November 2021, found the soldiers guilty of killing the civilians," the statement said.

Kampala instituted legal proceedings in Somalia's capital Mogadishu after the allegations of civilian casualties in the town of Golweyn emerged in August this year.

The soldiers will be repatriated to Uganda to serve their sentences.

Not the first time

AMISOM has some 20,000 soldiers in Somalia deployed to fight the Al Shabab militant group.

"Our mission in Somalia is to degrade Al Shabab and other armed groups. In doing so, we absolutely have every responsibility to protect the civilian population", said Brigadier General Don Nabasa, commander of the Ugandan contingent.

This is not the first time Ugandan soldiers in Somalia have been implicated in illegal activities.

Human rights groups have filed alleged cases of sexual misconduct and civilian killings, but the soldiers have routinely been exonerated in AMISOM's investigations.

In 2016, nine Ugandan soldiers were found guilty of illegally selling fuel meant for AMISOM to civilians, the first time such a case was tried in Somalia since the AU mission deployed in 2007.

In 2013, Uganda recalled 24 officers, among them the contingent commander Brigadier Michael Ondoga, for allegedly selling food rations meant for soldiers. Ondoga was exonerated by a military court in 2015.

READ MORE: African Union troops killed 7 civilians in Somalia in recent ambush: Probe

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