At least three African Union soldiers serving in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia have died in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi under mysterious circumstances.
Sources within the AU said on Wednesday that the cause of the mysterious illness that led to the death of Burundian soldiers based in Mogadishu was unknown but investigations were underway for possibility of water poisoning.
Major Barigye Bahoku, the Commander of AU troops in Somalia confirmed that 16 other soldiers were admitted at a Nairobi hospital, adding that “they may have been bitten by some insects that caused the illness”.
AU sources said a team of experts has been dispatched to Somalia to investigate the cause of the deaths.
Some 35000-strong AU troops, comprising of Ugandan and Burundian soldiers have been deployed in the war-torn nation since 2007 as part of an internationally-backed efforts to support the embattled UN-backed interim government.
Source: Presstv
RZS/SME/RE
