Three UPDF peacekeepers serving in Somalia have each received a two-year sentence for shooting and injuring 14 civilians in Mogadishu in two separate incidents.
Privates Baluku Maliba, Sam Odong and Emmanuel Tanga were convicted by the UPDF Court Martial based in Mogadishu of opening fire on civilians at a road between the international airport and the UPDF strategic base at Kilometre 4 Area in South Mogadishu.
The military court in February found the trio guilty of carelessness and had them flown to Uganda on February 23 to serve the sentence at Makindye Military Police detention centre.
The spokesperson of AU peacekeepers, Maj. Barigye Ba-Hoku, said in a statement on Monday the sentence was reached after carrying out wide investigations.
Thorough investigations
"Boards of Inquiry conducted investigations into both incidents in liaison with the Somali civil police and civilian hospitals where the injured were taken. Witnesses were interviewed and evidence gathered," he said.
Maj. Ba-Hoku, however, denied allegations that five people died in the two incidents.
"No evidence was ever brought forward by police, medical staff or the families supposedly involved to prove that anyone had died," he said.
The trial was based on UPDF law because under the terms of reference for troop contributing countries within the African Union Mission in Somalia, (Amisom), soldiers are disciplined by their own military operational laws.
The Amisom Commander, Maj. Gen. Nathan Mugisha, said in the statement that acts of carelessness and irresponsibility will not be tolerated.
Source: AllAfrica.com
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