Ugandan soldier to face death, three others 39 years in jail for civilian killing in Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Uganda has sentenced one of its soldiers serving in Somalia to death while three others will serve a 39 year jail term after they were found guilty of killing civilians in the Lower Shabelle region in September.

The verdict was delivered by mobile courts martial sitting in Mogadishu. According to the court, the defendants who were among five suspects were found guilty of civilian deaths in Gobweyn area in Lower Shabellle on August 10.

AMISOM board of enquiry confirmed on October 21 that the Ugandan soldiers killed seven civilians during a fight with the militant group Al-Shabaab. It noted that one AMISOM soldier was also killed and another injure during the incident.

The trial began early this month and drew witnesses from the victims’ families. Relatives of the victims welcomed the decision of the court where seven people testified against the suspects.

The spokesperson of the Lower Shabelle region farmers, Hussein Osman Wasuge who spoke to BBC Somali service said they are now in the process of seeking compensation, adding that they will seek a wider audience if Uganda fails to fulfill its pledge.

“If Uganda does not pay that compensation, we will take it under international law. Our people will not be slaughtered like animals. No one can escape from international law,” said Wasuge.

The accused soldiers are expected to appeal against the sentence within 14 days.

The verdict this week is the second in recent years involving Ugandan soldiers serving under AMISOM.

In August 2016, Ugandan courts martial tried and sentenced to between one and three years nine soldiers for their role in an oil racket in Mogadishu. The court established that the soldiers colluded with local traders in Mogadishu to siphon off oil allocated to the AU mission.