Ugandan soldier fatally shoots 3 colleagues in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A soldier attached to the Ugandan People's Defense Forces [UPDF] serving in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] has shot dead three colleagues in the country, it has now emerged, leading to his immediate arrest and incarceration according to defense spokesperson.

The soldier who is attached to the Special Command Forces [SFC], was wrestled down and arrested instantly after the incident and would face a court martial according to multiple forces privy to the unfortunate incident and the worst ever in the peace mission.

Reports indicate that the incident happened at the Al-Jazeera gate at the Base Camp which is heavily fortified on Monday morning. The Base Camp headquarters host the UPDF troops serving in ATMIS within the capital Mogadishu.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the suspect who is a corporal, had a quarrel with his colleague a Lance Corporal in the evening, and at about 5:45 am, he followed his colleague to his place and shot him dead, New Vision reports.

"As he was returning to his position, he met another colleague and shot him dead as well before moving on to meet yet another soldier who came out to see what was happening and shot him dead too," the source said.

According to the source, the soldier ran out of bullets as his colleague wrestled him down before subduing him. He was immediately arrested and detained awaiting formal investigations into the incident which will be activated immediately by security forces in ATMIS.

UPDF spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulaigye at first declined to comment on the matter, but later called back and confirmed the incident, saying the soldier will be tried by the field court martial in Somalia.

Most of these incidents are normally engineered by the high level of stress within the forces even with the presence of counseling sessions within the defense forces. Uganda has close to 4,500 soldiers serving in ATMIS on a rotational basis which is usually activated annually.

GAROWE ONLINE