Two Ugandan soldiers have been sentenced to death for killing two civilians in Somalia.
Three others were each sentenced to 39 years in prison.
The soldiers are accused of the killings during a fight between AMISOM forces and Al-Shabaab militants along the Beldamin-Golweyn Forward Operating Base in the Lower Shabelle region on August 10, 2021.
The men in uniform were found guilty by a Court Martial sitting in Mogadishu.
“After sitting from 2-12th November 2021 and reviewing all the facts including witness statements. the Court Martial on 12th November 2021, found the soldiers guilty of killing the civilians,” AMISOM said in a statement on Saturday night.
AMISOM said the convicts will be repatriated from Somalia to Uganda to serve their sentences.
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“As soldiers, we have a responsibility to protect lives and property. Our mission in Somalia is to degrade Al-Shabaab and other armed groups. In doing so, we absolutely have every responsibility to protect the civilian population, and this is very dear in our Rules of Engagement,” said the Ugandan People Defence Force Contingent and AMISOM Sector 1 Commander, Brig. Gen. Don Nabasa.
AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen, Diomede Ndegeya pledged to protect civilian lives in the war with Al Shabaab.
“As a Military component of AMISOM, we will, among our ranks, continue to ensure strict compliance with our obligations as we carry on with the task of pursuing and degrading Al-Shabaab, ISIS and other like-minded armed groups, as well as protecting population centers and searing critical infrastructure and sensitive sites in Somalia,” he said.
Also Read: KDF Soldiers Kill 5 Al-Shabaab Militants In Foiled Night Attack On Somali Forces
On his part, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, thanked the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the Federal Government of Somalia for their co-operation and support.
Ambassador Madeira expressed deep regrets for the killings and promised to ensure human rights are protected in AMISOM operations.
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“As a Mission, AMISOM remains deeply committed to the cause of peace, security and stability in Somalia and the protection of the local population in strict respect of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Human Rights Law, and AMISOM rules of Engagement. All these instruments are part and parcel of our core values and mandate,” said Ambassador Madeira.
The African Union Mission in Somalia is an active, regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
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