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The African Union has lashed the EU for saying it will pay Burundian peacekeepers in Somalia directly, rather than through their government, ostensibly to prevent the money being diverted to the regime in Bujumbura.
In a statement issued late Friday after a meeting of its military operations coordination committee in Addis Ababa, the AU said it “strong rejects” the EU’s decision to “differentiate its payment procedure” to the Burundian military contingent in Somalia.
Such payments are discriminatory, as Burundian troops are part of an overall AU deployment, it said, noting “the sacrifices being paid by the forces on the ground”.
It called on the EU “to urgently consider modalities for reversing this decision, which could have far-reaching negative consequences on AMISOM operations and the overall security gains achieved in Somalia”.
The AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was deployed to back Somalia’s internationally-backed administration in fighting the Shabaab jihadist militia.
The Shabaab was forced out of the capital, Mogadishu, five years ago but continues to attack military, government and civilian targets.