African Union seeks speedy determination of compensation cases from Troop and Police contributing countries to AMISOM
Nairobi, 5 December 2016 – The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Department and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are seeking ways of enhancing the management of compensation of personnel from Troop and Police Contributing countries to AMISOM.
A four-day meeting to review the AU’s memorandum of understanding with countries which contribute military and police personnel to AMISOM, opened in Nairobi today to discuss bottlenecks hindering timely compensation for death and disability.
Mr. Selidji Gbaguidi, the Head of the Peace Support Fund at the African Union Commission emphasized the need for effective internal control systems that will guarantee reliable data for personnel serving under the AU mission in Somalia.
“It will help to have the accurate data and reliable data from our side and the TCC side to compensate those beneficiaries on time. We should also put in place really a sustainable system to avoid in future, the backlog,” Mr. Gbaguidi said.
He recommended the strengthening of the Board of Inquiry (BoI), which evaluates casualty cases for compensation in the event of death or injury.
Mr. Adebayo Kareem, the AMISOM Acting Chief of Staff noted that AMISOM had ensured financial diligence and transparency in its operations. He attributed the efficiency to judicious input of the AU Peace Support Division (PSD).
“And I am happy to note that over the last few years, the finance office at the PSD and AMISOM have been able to ensure that even if you have issues with the European Union, management of the finances is not one of those critical issues,” he explained.
“We have handled the financial element of the funds they give us, in a very transparent manner.”
Col. Mor Mbow from the African Union Commission highlighted achievements realised so far, such as the drawing of the Memorandum of Understanding and Standard Operating Procedures between AMISOM, Troop and Police Contributing Countries, performing death and disability assessments and clearance of claims.
Col. Mbow said the African Union was in the process of improving patient care and management of troops in referral hospitals. He however noted that there is need to improve the management of compensation of personnel on death and disability.
He expressed gratitude to Troop and Police Contributing Countries to AMISOM for their commitment and sacrifices towards efforts to restore peace and stability in Somalia.
Anthony Okara, also from the African Union Commission disclosed that the African Union was in the process of devising new ways of funding African peacekeeping missions to reduce dependence on foreign donor funding.
“AMISOM remains on course despite the limited resources given the gigantic task which has to be undertaken,” Okara said.
“I think we have tried our best to make sure that these resources are applied as effectively as possible, to make sure that we continue to meet our objectives,” he added.
Source:amisom