The Government of Sierra Leone has strongly denied deducting salaries of its troops serving in Somalia.
The allegation was made by anonymous soldier
believed to be part of the 850 troops deployed as part of the African
Union Mission in Somalia (Amison).
It comes amidst tension already created by
Al-Shabaab terrorist threat caused by the deployment, even as the
Defense Ministry says the controversy was sparked by a journalist to
stifle the government`s efforts.
The soldier, whose complaint was aired on a
controversial weekend talk show by David Tamba Bayoh, alleged that $200
was ‘fraudulently’ deducted from each soldier’s pay.
He also alleged that soldiers have had to bribe senior military officials to be selected as part of the peacekeeping contingent.
Defense minister Palo Conteh rubbished the
allegations saying the only deductions from the troops` salary was used
for justifiable operational purposes by the government and the ministry
in line with what was agreed with the troops.
According to the country's Defense Ministry, $10
million is remitted annually for the soldiers` salary by the United
Nations, which bankrolls the Amison operation.
Operational cost
Each soldier, it said, is entitled to $828 per
month; that`s after deducting $100 as their monthly allowance and $200
used for “operational cost”.
The remaining $728 is deposited in their personal accounts every month.
When the troops return at the end of their tour of
duty, each serving soldier of the Amison team will be expecting a total
of $1,028 in their account.
To ensure a near equitable distribution of the
opportunity, a fresh contingent is set to depart Freetown soon,
according to Defence ministry officials.
However, some soldiers have complained that those
who complied with monetary demands of their seniors stayed even after
the expiry of their terms.
The aggrieved soldier also alleged that they did not get enough food.
The aggrieved soldier also alleged that they did not get enough food.
Mr Conteh said the allegations are unfounded and
are meant to create confusion among families of the soldiers deployed in
an already dangerous war zone.
Fears of potential attack by the Somali extremist
group Al-Shabaab have prompted security to be tightened across Sierra
Leone with armed policemen visible at major areas of interest in the
capital.
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
