AU troops killed civilians after Al-Shabaab ambush, says Somali governor
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Staff reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 17-08-2021, 11:32AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - A top official in Somalia insists the African Union Mission Forces [AMISOM] killed civilians last week, arguing that the incident happened after the troops had been ambushed by Al-Shabaab militants in the southern part of the country.
Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, the governor of the restless Lower Shabelle region, said he made a confirmation after arranging a meeting with local residents, adding that five farmers were among the civilians who were killed during the fiasco.
Two other civilians whose vehicle broke down on the side of the road were also killed by the peacekeepers, he said. Nur said he personally knew one of the farmers, who died instantly after the assault by the AU forces.
According to reports, the killings took place at Golweyn town, about 100 kilometers south of Mogadishu on August 10. The Uganda People's Defense Forces [UPDF] was manning the place at the time of the incident.
Already, the Somali and AU officials confirmed al-Shabab militants had ambushed the peacekeepers during a routine patrol near Golweyn. The soldiers engaged the militants in a heavy firefight lasting several hours before the incident of civilians deaths was reported.
The African Union insisted that those killed were militants who took part in the ambush, a claim which has been disputed by a number of eyewitnesses. The troops are accused of frogmarching the innocent civilians, shooting them afterward.
According to Governor Nur, one AU soldier was killed; two others were injured. It is not yet clear if the killing of the civilians occurred during or after the ambush. AU officials said they are investigating the incident.
In a tweet on the day of the attack, the African Union said that Ugandan troops on routine patrol "engaged and dislodged" an al-Shabab ambush.
"During the counterattack, 7 terrorists were killed while others sustained injuries and an assortment of weapons was recovered," AMISOM said in a tweet. In the tweet, AMISOM said one of its soldiers sustained injuries. The tweet has since been deleted.
In a statement, AMISOM seemed to maintain that those killed had links to Al-Shabaab militants, but vowed to ensure proper investigations are done. After investigations, the mission said, the report will be published for action.
"On August 10, 2021, soldiers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) while on a routine patrol to secure the Main Supply Route along with the Beldamin-Golweyn Forward Operating Base in the Lower Shabelle region, were ambushed and attacked by Al-Shabab militants," the AU said in a statement on August 11.
The AMISOM team also said troops seized firearms, rounds of ammunition, and mobile phones during the gunfight against al-Shabab.
"AMISOM has since received reports that civilian lives were lost," the statement further read. "To this end, AMISOM has launched a thorough investigation into the reported incident. The investigation team will present its findings and this will be followed by a Board of Inquiry."
GAROWE ONLINE
