Here is the background of the story: The UN awarded a new contract to a Ukrainian company accused of negligence in the killing of 9 Somali workers by Al-Shabaab. The workers received death threats from Al-Shabaab people asking them to stop cutting trees, but the work didn’t stop…
The incident occurred on Feb 25, 2019, when gunmen believed to be Al-Shabab militants attacked the workers as they cleared the bush from the sides of Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor. AS uses the bushes to hide IEDs in attacks. Cutting the bush was specifically intended to remove trees, The families of the 9 Somali workers now demand a full, transparent investigation into the killing. The families say their relatives were instructed to carry out semi-military activities w/o proper security protection. There were no security guards with workers at time of attack.
“We did not get justice,” says Jama, the son of one of the workers killed.
“We need a thorough investigation and accountability.”
A Somali lawmaker @SenatorAbshir supports the families’ search for justice. Senator Abshir is calling for inquiry participated by the fed govt & UN, The families say the project was risky, and they allege negligence on the part of the contractor. @i_dossier has learned UN and the Ukroboronservice reviewed the incident only after VOA report aired on July 14, 2020. The UN didn’t even condemn the incident when it took place.
The UN now says after review of the imcident, the contractor paid “financial aid” to the families of those killed and those injured in the attack. On June 5 this year, contractors met with the victims and their families in Afgoye to explain payment process and express condolence, According to the Islamic law which Somali courts apply, the killing of a male person is awarded a 100 camels ($100,000) while the blood money for a female person is 50 camels ($50,000). In this case, UN/contractor paid less than 8K for person killed & less than 4K for the injured.
Despite lingering questions over the incident, the UN has in July awarded a new contract to UKroboronservice to undertake “Explosive Hazard Mitigation Services.” UN defended, says it was awarded through a “competitive bidding” process. Ukroboronservice didn’t respond to inquiries.
