AU pays over $200 million to families of soldiers killed or injured in Somalia

Peacekeepers in Somalia under the African Union mission. PHOTO | AMISOM HANDOUT via AFP

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The African Union [AU] could have paid over $200 million to families of soldiers who may have died or gotten injured in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], it has emerged, in one of the most expensive peacekeeping mission in the world and whose future remains uncertain due to Al-Shabaab threats.

According to a report, of this amount, $175 million went to families of soldiers who died while $15 million went to servicemen who got injured on the battlefield against the Al-Shabaab militants. AU first dispatched soldiers to Somalia in 2007 under African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM].

Last week, the African Union revealed that over 3,500 soldiers may have died over the last 15 years in Somalia while on a peacekeeping mission.

Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Burundi are the main Troops Contributing Countries in the Horn of Africa nation which is struggling with instability.

Mohamed El-Amine Souef, AU Commission for Somalia Chairperson’s Special Representative Mohamed El-Amine Souef revealed the massive human losses suffered by East African troops in Somalia. It is not clear which country has lost more soldiers given the secrecy in which the army structures work but Burundi and Uganda top the list.

"The troops were not well prepared, and the administration was not even in Mogadishu. Many cases were not properly documented. The mission has documented around 4,000 casualties. According to officers who served in the mission, the number of casualties including the disabled could be more than 5,000," Mr. Souef told VoA.

He confirmed an estimated death toll of 3,500, noting that Burundian and Ugandan troops suffered the most casualties. "We will prioritize the families of soldiers killed in Somalia for compensation, as some of them have not yet been recognized due to lack of funds," he said.

The AU recommends that the family of each soldier who has lost his life receive $50,000 with those suffering from injuries getting up to $10,000. The money is usually paid by international partners led by European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.

However, despite the elaborate compensation plan, some of the families have yet to receive this compensation, even as soldiers from some troop-contributing countries await payment from their respective administrations, despite the fact that the European Union [EU], the mission's largest financier disbursed funds.

An EU spokesperson confirmed to The EastAfrican that the first payment of support for the military component of Atmis in 2022 has been made to the African Union Commission, in line with the EU-AU Summit Declaration of February 17, 2022.

This is demonstrated by the adoption of two support measures totaling $792.2 million for African-led peace support operations through the AU under the European Peace Facility [EPF] for the period 2021-2024, a spokesperson said.

It is anticipated that by December 2024, the ATMIS troops would have handed over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army [SNA] and are being trained and equipped. Recently, Somalia signed an agreement with Uganda, Ethiopia, and Eritrea on the training of the army that will help in the Al-Shabaab war.

GAROWE ONLINE