African Union Troops In Somalia Not Paid For Six Months

The allowances for African troops fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia have not been paid for at least six months.
The 22,000-strong African Union force (Amisom) fighting the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab is funded by the EU.

An European Union source told the BBC that last six-month payment was being withheld over "accounting issues".
The head of Amisom said that the correct papers to account for the last tranche had now been submitted.
"These papers are on their way; the money is also on its way," Francisco Madeira said.

The EU provides $1,028 for each Amisom soldier each month; their respective governments then deduct around $200 for administrative costs meaning the soldiers are supposed to take home about $800.
This deployment allowance is much more than the meagre salaries the soldiers receive from their governments.
The funds are only released to Amisom by the EU once the accounts from the previous payment are signed off.

There have been delays over the last two tranches - and last year's June-November payment has only just arrived.
So soldiers are now receiving money owed to them last year but have not received any of it owed to them this year.
Ugandan military chief General Katumba Wamala said he unable to describe the extent of his frustration over the late payments.

Gen Wamala also said that Uganda would pull its soldiers out of Somalia by December 2017, because of frustrations with the Somali army and military advisers from the US, UK and Turkey.
Uganda joined Amisom in 2007 and is the force's biggest contributor, with more than 6,000 troops.
Burundian military officials also said their troops had not been paid.

Comments

Security Alert; Bart Ransomware Bypasses Corporate Firewalls

A new ransomware variant has emerged that’s similar to widespread threats such as Dridex 220 and Locky Affid=3, but uses a security-evading technique that may allow it to attack organisations protected from other malware, according to computer security researchers. Ransomware has spread quickly in the last few months, as a number of payouts have attracted cyber-criminals to the technique.

Floods Leave Many Dead in Southern Ghana

Four days of heavy and steady rain has left at least 10 people dead in the south of Ghana. The streets of Accra have been left under water after the torrential downpours caused widespread flooding earlier this week. The nation's capital was hit bit 185mm of rain on Sunday, which is more than they would expect for the entire month of June. This is the wettest month of the year with an average rainfall of 178mm. Since the weekend a further 50mm of rain has fallen exacerbating the severe problems already faced. President John Dramani Mahama has surveyed the areas concerned. He was reported to have driven through several neighbourhoods on a motorcycle. Heavy downpours were also recorded 150km to the west of Accra in the Central Regional capital, Cape Coast where 10 people died in floods, Sandy Amartey, regional coordinator of the National Disaster Management organisation, told AFP. "In all we have 10 to 12 who lost their lives during this rainy season." The rain...

Etisalat Has Launched Its Mobile (4G LTE) Services In Nigerian

The Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, who announced the new service roll-out, said the latest offering demonstrates the telco’s unwavering commitment to deliver superior customer experience to its subscribers.

Welcome to VinMike's Blog

Search This Blog