By The EastAfrican

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The United States has dealt a blow to the war against militant group Al-Shabaab after it suspended fuel and food aid to the Somali military, citing corruption concerns.

According to correspondence between the US and Somali governments seen by Reuters, the suspension of aid came after the Somali military repeatedly failed to account for food and fuel.

“We are adjusting US assistance to Somali National Army units, with the exception of units receiving some form of mentorship, to ensure that US assistance is being used effectively and for its intended purpose,” a US official told Reuters, adding that Washington would continue to support small, Somali Special Forces units mentored by US personnel.

Currently, there are about 400 US military troops in Somalia providing training and logistical support for the Somali military.

The suspension comes only a few months after the US and Somali officials visited nine army bases, where they found that more than half of the soldiers enlisted by Somali commanders were not present at the barracks.

The move to cut food and fuel aid could further cripple the operations of the already financially and logistically challenged Somali military, which largely depends on foreign forces to conduct operations.

Losing the much needed aid coupled with the commenced withdrawal of African union troops from Somalia could boost the resurgence of Al-Qaeda linked Islamist group, which still controls some key parts of the war-torn country.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) troops were deployed to Somalia in 2007 to defend the internationally backed government against attacks by Al-Shabaab, which is still carrying out attacks on civilian, military and government targets, mostly in the capital Mogadishu.

However, in 2016, the AU announced an exit strategy that would see some 22,000 troops withdraw and hand over control of security to the national army by 2020.

Withdrawal of troops

Last week, Uganda announced that it had begun the withdrawal of 281 troops, who are part of the 1,000 troops from Kenya, Burundi, Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia set to leave Somalia by December 31.

Meanwhile, the head of the US Africa Command has ordered a new investigation of claims that US troops massacred 10 civilians in an August raid on a farm in central Somalia.

The move by Africom commander Gen Thomas Waldhauser follows media reports that children were among those killed in an attack based on faulty intelligence.

“Gen Waldhauser referred the matter to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to ensure a full exploration of the facts given the gravity of the allegations,” Africom said in a statement.

“Africom takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and will leverage the expertise of appropriate organisations to ensure such allegations are fully and impartially investigated.”

Africom had said soon after the August 25 raid that all the dead were “armed enemy combatants.”

Reports in the Daily Beast news site cited accounts by eyewitnesses and Somali officials of unprovoked killings of farmers in the US raid carried out in conjunction with Somali soldiers.

Reported by Victor Kiprop, Kevin J Kelley and Reuters