Monday June 5, 2017
Burundian peacekeepers serving in the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are to receive their salary arrears as the European Union (EU) has peacekeepers’ salary arrears for six months, the Burundian army spokesman said Wednesday.
“Our peacekeepers in Somalia had spent over one year without getting their salaries. But we got them on Saturday last week. The European Union has deposited salary arrears for six months. We are therefore going to pay our troops,” Gaspard Baratuza said.
Baratuza said the participation in international peacekeeping missions “bears positive results” for countries contributing troops as the latter gain experience.
Burundi has one battalion of about 850 soldiers at the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) since 2014, and six rotating battalions consisting of about 5,500 troops in Somalia since December 2007.
Burundi is among the main contributors of troops in the AMISOM.
The failure to pay peacekeepers’ salaries for 12 months had forced the Burundian government to threaten to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Enditem