Nine Ugandan soldiers of the Ugandan People’s Defence Force (UPDF) serving in Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have been sentenced to prison due to misconduct according to a statement issued by AMISOM.
The soldiers were handed between one and three years in jail by the Ugandan Military court after being found guilty of running a fuel racket in Somalia that was busted by AMISOM officials in June.
“The prosecution has proved all the accusations of pursuing interest and endangering operational efficiency beyond reasonable doubt. The accused persons are hereby convicted of the charges against the” said Chairman of the Court Martial, Brig. Gen. Dick Olum,
Three of the nine soldiers were also ‘dismissed with disgrace from the army’; meaning that the soldiers will leave the army without any benefits, unlike many of their colleagues.
According to a statement issued by Amisom, the soldiers will serve their time at Luzira prison in Uganda.
The nine are part of 18 soldiers initially implicated in the fuel racket.
“However, out of the 18, two pleaded guilty and were immediately charged, six were acquitted and one turned into a state witness, leaving the nine, who had denied any wrongdoing, to face trial” read the AMISOM statement
Uganda has the largest army contingent in the 22,000 strong peace keeping forces deployed to Somalia since 2007, to fight the Al Shabaab terrorists.
“The sentence that military courts give out to soldiers who have committed a crime is a deterrent sentence. It is a sentence that sends out a message to the rest of military personnel whether back at home or in any other mission out of the country. It is a message that goes out to soldiers and officers of the UPDF that if you commit an offence, you will face the law and face it very harshly,” Gen. Olum added.
Nine #Ugandan soldiers serving under #AMISOM sentenced to prison for misconduct. https://t.co/66QraFrlK3 #Somalia pic.twitter.com/CWFNc0FjPl
— AMISOM (@amisomsomalia) August 16, 2016
