Compensation for African Union mission victims in Somalia with a stay of execution
Families of soldiers killed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are still waiting for compensation for their loved ones lost in the world’s deadliest peacekeeping mission.
According to the African Union, more than $175 million has been allocated to compensate the families of soldiers killed on the frontline since 2007, and $15 million for those wounded or maimed in a mission to defeat the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab.
“At least 3,500 AMISOM troops, mainly from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia, have been killed over the past 16 years in a bloody peace mission that has yet to produce the desired results.”
“Uganda was the first country to send troops on the ground in 2007 with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which morphed into the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in April 2022.”
A Dark Harvest
Speaking to Voice of America, Mohamed Lamine Soueif, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, revealed the immense human losses East African forces have suffered.
“The troops were not well prepared, the administration was not in Mogadishu and many cases were not properly documented. The mission documented some 4,000 victims. According to officers who served in the mission, the number of victims, including the disabled, could be over 5,000.”
He noted that Burundian and Ugandan troops had suffered the highest number of casualties.
“We will prioritize the families of soldiers killed in Somalia for compensation, some of whom have not yet been identified because of a lack of funds,” he said.
Memorandum of Understanding
According to a memorandum of understanding signed between troop-contributing countries and the African Union, US$50,000 will be paid for each loss of life, while the amount paid for injury or disability will be determined by the degree of injury or disability.
But some families have yet to receive this compensation, even as soldiers from some troop-contributing countries await payment from their administrations, despite the fact that the EU is the largest funder of the mission.
Last February, it became clear that soldiers who served in 2018-2022 duties did not receive their full salaries, even after the EU confirmed that it was keeping up with its funding contributions.
3 times
A spokesperson for the European Union (EU) confirmed that the first batch of support for the military component of the African Union Mission in Somalia in 2022 was provided to the African Union Commission in line with the declaration of the Summit of the African and Old Continent blocs on 17 February 2022.
That was reflected in the provision of support totaling $792.2 million for African-led peace support operations through the African Union under the European Peace Facility for the period 2021-2024.
The cost of operating Atmes is more than $1.5 billion a year, up from about $350 million when the first troops landed in Somalia in 2007 as AMISOM .
The African Union financial statements for 2021 show that the amount paid to troop-contributing countries almost tripled from $37.59 million to $100.8 million.
