Former commander says Somali forces sell weapons to Islamist insurgents

[News_Editor]

Former commander says Somali forces sell weapons to Islamist insurgents

2010-10-30 01:08:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (BNO NEWS) -- A former Somali commander on Friday said that the government soldiers sold weapons to Islamist insurgents that seek to gain control of the eastern African nation.

The former Chief of Staff of Somalia's Military, major general Yusuf Hussein Osman, said that the soldiers decided to sell their weapons due to the fact that they were not being paid their salary for a significant period, according to AfricaNews.

"The biggest source for rebels' arms is government forces. Unpaid soldiers get money from rebels and then hand to their arms," Osman said.

The Somali forces are supposedly paid a $100 monthly wage but the lack of funds have caused that some of them had not being paid for three months or more. Osman blamed Somali officials for corrupting the armed forces' fund.

"A soldier needs to get what he is dying for. He has to get money. If you didn’t give salary three months or more than, he has to look for a way to feed his family," the former commander added.

Osman, the chief of staff in 2009, further declared that the soldiers endure many difficulties. Soldiers' camps are ghastly, provided with no healthcare, and often without food. In consequence, many service men are in a state of malnourishment.

The soldiers that sell their guns to Islamist insurgents are part of a hundred of Somali soldiers trained with United States and European Union funds in Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan.

Last year, the U.S. spent $6.8 million to train around 2,100 Somali soldiers in Djibouti and Uganda while the EU paid €5 million (approximately $6 million) for the training of 2,000 Somalis in Uganda.

Osman remarked that former Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid and his ministers were the main culprits of corrupting the Army's funds and failed in building and establishing strong Somali forces.

"The president is very committed to rebuild Somali military but the prime minister (who recently resigned) is not helping the issue. He is busy with other issues. The cabinet is corrupted people who are out to enrich themselves," Osman said.

However, Somali information minister Abdirahman Omar Osman denied Osman's allegations as total fabrication. He added that the Somali government manages funds meant for military very well.

"It is not true. Our soldiers are braves who stop Al-Shabaab. Even if they miss salary, they could not sell their arms to their enemies. Al-Shabaab tried to buy weapons from soldiers but they do not accept," the information minister said.

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