The African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops from Burundi and Uganda deployed in Somalia have not been paid since May this year, an official has said.
The force’s special representative to Somalia, ambassador Nicolas Bwakira, said donors had only released 30 percent of the funds they pledged, frustrating efforts to turnaround the lawless country.
“No country would keep its forces without payment. No democracy would do that,” he said.
Bwakira said morale was noticeably low among AMISOM and Somali government troops.
“We are performing an international duty, which is the responsibility of the UN-Security Council (and) we would have expected that the international community to make financial resources available to enable us.”
In April, donors pledged over $250m to run an expanded AU force for a year and to strengthen Somalia’s security forces.
The Somali government provided only $3m, while the US gave $2m and the Arab League $1m.
The AU envoy’s statement echoes similar comments by aid workers this week that donors have been slow to release money for health programmes for the Somali.
The Burundian contingent, the envoy added, had not received their pay since April.
Burundi and Uganda are the only countries that have contributed troops to the 5,100-strong AU peacekeeping force.
The UPDF spokesman, Maj. Felix Kulayigye, however, said the soldiers’ salaries were being paid.
“The peace keepers do not earn a salary in Somalia, but only allowances from MONUC, which have delayed. They remain on their country’s salaries, which in our case, we give their families here,” he said.
