15 August 2016: Ugandan soldiers from AU have been jailed over Somali fuel racket
AU mission in Somalia jailed 9 soldiers from Uganda for misconduct. They are accused of running a fuel racket. The African Union said they had been sentenced to between one year and three years by a Ugandan military court, which has one of its headquarters’ in Somalia. Soldiers were serving under the mission for misconduct and for violating the rules and regulations of peacekeeping. The officers, including two majors, were arrested in a mentioned, cruel operation in June.
An AMISOM official statement released on Tuesday said that : ‘‘The soldiers were found guilty of pursuing personal interest and endangering operational efficiency of the UPDF, contrary to section 124 of the UPDF Act ».
Three of the soldiers had also been "dismissed with disgrace from the army", and would lose their benefits.
The AU mission is engaged in the battle alongside Somali government forces against al-Shabab Islamist militants.
This is the court’s first time of sitting since it was set up. Uganda is the highest contributor to the 22,000-strong AU force fighting Islamists terror groups in Somalia. The troops were deployed in Somalia nine years ago.
