Military on the spotlight as govt declares illegal deal with SKA

The US suspended food and fuel aid to the national army last December over corruption concerns.

Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Abdiwali Gorod addressing soldiers during the official take-over of UAE run military base in Mogadishu last week. Photo: SONNA

By T. Roble
The government has declared illegal a military logistics contract between the Dubai based logistics company SKA and the Somali National Army noting the deal was un-procedurally entered into.

The Ministry of Information in a statement to newsrooms Thursday said the contract which came to the public domain following a media expose was illegal and would now be subject of investigations.

“The agreement reported in the media is illegal. According to the Minister of Finance Abdirahman Beyle, the contract was not done according to the Public Procurement Law,” acting information minister Abdirahman Yonis said.

Chief of Defence Forces Abdiweli Gorod confirmed to VOA Somali the existence of the contract. In the expose aired Wednesday, VOA Somali said SKA had secured a deal with the national army to manage its supply and logistics countrywide which would include delivery of supplies to all the military bases in the country.

“Yes the contract is there and has been agreed,” Gen. Gorod said.

Yonis said the government will investigate the circumstances under which the tender was disposed of and findings be submitted to the cabinet.

The Dubai based company, SKA which according to information in its website describes itself as a global supplier of fuel, aviation and logistics services operating throughout the Middle East and Africa has been operating in Somalia since 2010. The company was first contracted by then Transitional Federal Government to manage operations at Aden Adde Airport before the Turkish based company Favori took over.

SKA also operates a security company, Somali Risk Management which it says provides full range of security services including international security management and advisory services, security audits and assessments, vetted guards, convoy support, training, CCTV and armored vehicle transport.

SPOTLIGHT

The move to declare the contract illegal once again puts the military into the spotlight over procurement procedures. There have been accusations in the past including by the UN Monitoring Group against the military over what it termed as shady dealings in procurement procedures.

The U.N. Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group, observed in its 2015 report the army “hierarchy has systematically inflated their troop numbers in order to secure greater funding for salaries and rations”.

“Few cases illustrate the threat posed by financial mismanagement and misappropriation to peace, security and stability in Somalia more than corruption within the Federal Government security institutions,” said the U.N. monitoring group.

The US suspended food and fuel aid to the national army last December over corruption concerns. Sources at the US State Department quoted by Reuters said Somali National Army ‘failed to meet the standards for accountability for U.S. assistance.’