MOGADISHU – A soldier attached to the Special Command Forces (SFC) Unit on a peace mission in Somalia has allegedly shot three colleagues dead before being wrestled down and arrested.
According to a source in Mogadishu, the incident happened at Ajazera gate at the Base Camp, the headquarters of the Ugandan Contingent at about 6:00am Monday.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the suspect who is a corporal, had a quarrel with his colleague a Lance Corporal in the evening and at about 5:45am, he followed his colleague to his place and shot him dead.
“As he was returning to his position, he met another colleague and shot him dead as well before moving on to meet yet another soldier who came out to see what was happening and shot him dead too,” the source said.
The source added that the soldier ran out of bullets and another soldier near him grabbed him, wrestled him down and subdued him before help came and he was arrested. ;
UPDF spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulaigye at first declined to comment on the matter, but later called back and confirmed the incident, saying the soldier will be tried by the field court martial in Somalia.
He did not identify the victims and said the motive of the shooting is not yet established.
Previous incidents
There have been incidences where soldiers shot each other in Somalia.
On May 13, 2019, several soldiers shot at themselves.
In June 2019, a UPDF Captain shot his colleague before turning the gun on himself.
In October last year, the army’s appellant court quashed the death sentence on two soldiers who were convicted along with other three colleagues for killing seven civilians in Somalia. ;
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