Five arrested AU soldiers will be prosecuted in their home countries, AMISOM says

Five African Union peacekeepers who have been arrested over alleged illegal sales of military supplies in Somalia will be prosecuted in their home countries, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Monday.

AMISOM said the soldiers were found in possession of fuel and sand bags and were detained Sunday in a joint operation with Somali police that followed an investigation and a period of surveillance.

In an interview with Goobjoog News, AMISOM spokesman Lt Col Joe Kibet said that AMISOM soldier involving misconduct should be sent back to his home his country where will be prosecuted in accordance with the Status Of Mission Agreement (SOMA).

“According to the agreement between Somalia and AMISOM, these will be immediately repatriated to their countries and they are required to be prosecuted there, ” said Kibet.

Five soldiers reportedly from Uganda, Burundi and ten Somali civilians were rounded up on Sunday in a security operation conducted by the Somali National Police and intelligence officers at a garage in Benadir region.

The African Union Mission in Somalia in a statement said it was aware of allegations and claims made against some of the troops operating under its auspices.

Deployed in 2007, AMISOM drove Al-Shabaab group from Mogadishu in 2011 but Al-Shabaab fighters have continued their bid to overthrow the government, launching regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets in Mogadishu and elsewhere.

Recent months have seen a clutch of deadly Shabaab attacks on restaurants and hotels in the capital.

Last week at least 10 people killed after a car bomb attack and an assault by gunmen outside the Ambassador Hotel in the heart of Mogadishu.