Five soldiers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) were arrested for alleged involvement in illegal sales of military supplies in Somalia on Sunday reports The Nation
The soldiers were arrested following joint investigations by Amisom and Somalia Police. The reports have not given the country of origin of the soldiers.
“Amisom had previously received information that its soldiers were allegedly involved in illegal activity and acted decisively to investigate the matter…. The investigation culminated in a joint operation to apprehend the soldiers, who were found in possession of fuel and sand bags,” an Amisom source said to The Nation
Also recovered were telephones, ammunition materials and petrol, among others.10 civilians were arrested alongside the soldiers in a garage in Benadir region, the coastal region in Somalia. This is the first time Somali government security forces have arrested AU peacekeeping troops in the country. Amisom said that it will continue to investigate and apprehend soldiers who engaged to activities against its mission.
African Union troops and the Somali National Army have been jointly carrying out operations against Al-Shabaab terrorist group in south and central Somalia. Amisom troops are from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia.
