Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kampala (Agenzia Fides) - There are 6,000 Ugandans working as mercenaries or “contractors,” as they call them in the official language, in Iraq. This is what has been revealed in a statement from Ugandan Employment Minister Mwesigwa Rukutana to the publication “The Daily Monitor.” “There are between 5, 000 and 6, 000 Ugandans in Iraq on guard duties,” the Minister said, adding that “we are happy that Ugandans have continued to be contracted to work in Iraq and we are happy with the way they have been treated.”
In Uganda, there are various different companies that specialize in providing personnel for security operations; some of these have made contracts with the American government or others, for missions in Iraq. The jobs they work are mainly security on oil-rigs, on military bases, and in public buildings, or as caravan escorts, but never in combat roles.
The Ugandan youth are usually ex-soldiers, but there are also civilians (including some women) and they receive somewhere between 700-900 dollars a month. 90% of the pay is sent to their families in Uganda. Considering that a “contractor” in the West makes 10, 000 dollars a month, the disproportion that exists between private armies and security agencies becomes more evident.
Despite the risks, the Ugandan youth continue to offer their services in Iraq, so much so, that companies are beginning consider reducing the already low salaries of mercenary candidates. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 13/3/2008; righe 20, parole 232)
