Emmy Allio
Monday, May 28, 2007
"The issue of salary was sorted out. The soldiers will receive their salaries next week," said Katumba, currently in Mogadishu. The Ugandan soldiers, now in their third month in Mogadishu, have not received allowances from the African Union. Besides receiving a salary in Uganda, a private in AMISOM is entitled to $400 (about sh680,000) in monthly allowances.
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The issue of non-payment of allowances recently raised public debate on whether the 1,500 Ugandan troops should continue with the Somalia mission.
Katumba said plans were underway to replace the five soldiers who were killed in Mogadishu. "Soldiers are happy and they are not stressed. We are ably protecting the institutions of the transition government," he said.
Katumba said the Somali contingent has enough food rations to last over two months. On life in Mogadishu, the army general said: "The confidence in the peace process is returning in Mogadishu. I have just been in the city and saw the population collecting garbage."
The Ugandan troops commanded by Col. Peter Elwelu are awaiting the arrival of other peacekeepers from Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Burundi. The overall head of the African Union Mission in Somalia is UPDF's Maj. Gen. Levy Karuhanga.
Before going to Somalia, the soldiers were trained in combat operations, troops enforcement and peacekeeping techniques. In December, Ethiopian troops, with American support, helped the forces of Somalia's transitional government rout the Islamic Courts militias that had controlled Mogadishu and much of the country.
Source: New Vision, May 28, 2007