Somalian army undergoes shake-up to eliminate ‘ghost soldiers’ used to line the pockets of corrupt superiors
- Under the new system, payments are linked to a biometric database containing soldiers’ fingerprints, personal details and bank accounts
- The shake-up was fiercely resisted in some quarters of the army, with several soldiers deserting their barracks in March in protest
Deployed in one of the world’s most dangerous conflicts, Somali soldiers risking their lives daily against al-Shabab insurgents were growing weary of being paid months late and short-changed by their superiors.
“We never received the complete amount,” a captain said on condition of anonymity, grumbling about “middlemen” who siphon off troops’ meagre wages – some as low as US$100 a month – and plunder budgets meant for weapons, rations and uniforms.
Then in March, his pay arrived on time, in full and straight to his bank account, in what officials say is the first step in a radical shake-up of its corruption-ridden armed forces.
The government, under pressure from foreign backers, has started paying troops directly, bypassing army commanders previously tasked with disbursing their pay but diverting the money instead.
Under the new system, payments are linked to a biometric database containing soldiers’ fingerprints, personal details and bank accounts, replacing patchy records kept on Excel spreadsheets.
Officials say about 10,000 “ghost soldiers” were expunged from the records – roughly one in three troops according to government estimates, though analysts questioned these figures. These fictitious troops either did not exist at all or had long ago deserted.
