Are Ugandans subsidizing the war in Iraq?
Uganda and Iraq have a special relationship. Thousands of Ugandans are making the trip to quaint military compounds in cities such as Baghdad and Tikrit in order to make ends meet, something they have trouble doing back home.
This is not exactly breaking news. Back in May 2005, the BBC held a brief forum on a law firm in Kampala that was recruiting young Ugandans to work as gaurds in Baghdad. The following year, reports of Ugandan guards being mistreated by Coalition troops were covered in CorpWatch and Xinhua (also known as the China View), and dismissed in the New Vision. Although the issue did not make headlines in Uganda, it does not seem to go away.
In September this year, the Daily Monitor published a story by David Herbert in which it was revealed that Dreshak International—a leading recruiter of Ugandan guards bound for Iraq—was being sued by disgruntled Ugandans for breach of contract. A few days later Herbert published some interviews with a few of the Ugandans who have been working as private security guards in Iraq. The story was (unknowingly) recycled by The Economist for their October 18th issue.
Let's talk numbers
It is unclear exactly how many Ugandan citizens have worked or are currently working as contract security personnel in Iraq. According to the Herbert article, Dreshak has over 1,000 Ugandan employees in Iraq:
Dreshak International...currently has 1,800 Ugandans working in 12 bases around Iraq, but there are thousands more looking for these jobs than there are positions available.
DAVID HERBERT, in the Daily Monitor, Sept. 2007
These numbers differ from those cited in a Xinhua article, which puts the number at over 2,000:
More Ugandans joined the Iraq gold rush for better pay as another batch of 169 Ugandans has left for the war-torn country as security guards early this week. The batch left Uganda following a deal between Connect Financial Services, a Ugandan firm and Triple Canopy, a U.S. firm. They will be deployed in the Iraq capital Baghdad.
China View, on Xinhuanet.com, 2007
By either source, the current number of Ugandans in Iraq is larger than the troop numbers of any member of the multinational force in Iraq save for the U.S., the U.K., and Poland.
Money is the motivator
The recruits are tempted by ads promising salaries in the thousands of dollars. In reality, they make about $1,000 a month. Much of this money is remitted to Uganda where it is used to set up small scale enterprises. This is important for an economy that has few opportunities for even the educated, let alone those who have had little or no schooling.
Most of the recruits are police and army veterans. This is not surprising. Their wages are a joke, their work conditions despicable, and they are treated with contempt wherever they go. It would seem that for most of them then, Iraq is an easy choice.
An African affair
And it is not just the Ugandans that are flocking to Iraq. South Africa, that trusty producer of the fabled soldier of fortune, has been struggling to retain its security personnel. In 2005, the Telegraph reported that South African military began imposing leave restrictions to prevent its officers from seeking unofficial employment in Iraq. That article estimated the number of South Africans in Iraq to be between 5,000 and 10,000 men.
Are Ugandans subsidizing the war on Iraq
With almost 4,000 American soldiers killed in Iraq and approximately a trillion dollars spent, the Americans are feeling the cost of this war.
So far, the military has been willing to outsource some aspects of the campaign to private security companies (Blackwater anyone?). Uganda seems to be one of the most reliable sources of manpower for these firms. At $1,000 a month, our citizens are cheaper than the highly trained western ex-military types who earn as much as $1,000 a day. But there is no indication that these firms are passing on the savings to the U.S. government.
Should this be a political issue?
Even in an election year, this issue would not garner any political attention in Uganda. Those who choose to go and seek their fortune in Iraq do so as individuals; they are not sent by the government. And it's unlike that the families of the recruits will protest their involvement in the war; the families benefit from the remittances sent back to Uganda.
That said, there is no denying that the ruling NRM benefits directly when Ugandans are recruited to work in Iraq. By allowing its unemployed citizens to be recruited in such large numbers, the government is relieved of the burden of having to create 2,000 jobs. This convenience is shared with the rest of the population, after all, no one wants that many unemployed police and army vets looking for something to do. Not in Uganda; not with our history.
And this is what makes the relationship between Iraq and Uganda so very special. On the surface of the matter, it may seem that Ugandans are subsidizing the war in Iraq. But we seem to be getting something in return. Whether we are okay with the exchange, is another matter.
Reader comments
i really feel so under when i see the way we are treated in.am a gurd working with sabre internantinal sacurity co. and i would like to let the world know that we are treated like slaves.as far as i can remember one of our instructor in al_taqaddum air base in sabrre base called us slaves,'' what are u talking about u slaves?,there are so many slaves in uganda who are willing to come and do this job even for one dollar per month'', what does that suppose to mean?. we are still treated by the white bosses of ours like slaves where by thay don't give a fuck on how u do sleep, eat and live. they even sometimes make us hate our jobs coz every time they are talking to us, they are like ''u even work for small amount of money so u bettr keep quiet and do whatever ya' told to do!.
this is where i conculed by saying that every securityco. in iraq who still have the contract should employ the americans only coz atleast for them they do inderlook us but they don't tell us shits.
Yes, I will agree with Akanwanaho. this problem is very common in most of the bases we are working. making matters warth is the amount we are earning here compared with the work we are doing. For sure we are doing alot of job but our bosses don't consider it, ffom the begining it was good because pple who came first were earning $1500 but now we are getting only $ 600 with poor working conditions. More to that if someone tries to resign the get away $300 as a fine.
For sure this is Indirect slavery. i work in Taji comp
The betrayal starts home in Uganda.
am one them working here in Iraq, with the only outstanding agency Triple Canopy Inc. Our bosses were still willing to pay us enough money but they have been corrupted by the Ugandan government. Why would Rukutana order the money to be cut to 600USD? it's because of his selfish intrests, The work we do here is hectic, we stand for longer hours in hot and extremely cold temperatures, with heavy body gears amidst enemy threat, our firm is losing contracts because of our wages. We are dis-respected because of Rukutana's orders, Triple Canopy is apparently paying 550USD from 875USD, there's a probality of cutting the money to 400USD next year the 2009, with a claim that ugandans are willing to work even at 350 dollars, Our blame goes to the Ugandan corrupt government.
The number of comments on this article leads me to question why the national media simply have not been reporting on the plight of the men and women working in Iraq. Also, with Obama's administration working towards an American withdrawal, I wonder what where these people will find work when their contracts are up. Last time I checked, there were more than enough private security personnel in Kampala.
yes i do strongly with my fellow comrades b'se i face the same tragedy as they do, really on a certain extent the blame goes to the government & on the other hand to fellow ugandans, following the newspapers we see that some ugandans had applied for cheap labour from us contracting companies which resulted in reduction of our money, & to the government is that it has turned a deaf hear towards our suffering and all in all the so called minister rukutana is more than an a stooge b'se he driving & enjoying the government funds not knowing the situation we are facing in this country, what i want to remind my fellow comrades in the stuggle is that we need coperation to change our country in to a better place to live in.
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