U.S. indirectly supplies guns that fuel Somalian conflict

By Robert Johnson

In its fight against al Qaeda in Somalia, the U.S. is sending hundreds of millions dollars in weapons to Ugandan soldiers, who are selling the arms to the men they're fighting.

A new report by the United Nations and picked up by Somalia Report lays out how the $500 a month salary paid to Ugandan troops is delivered to their families leaving soldiers with no money for necessities (via Wired).

To make some money the Ugandans are selling U.S. rifles, rockets, and ammunition to middle-men who are selling them to al Qaeda linked Somalian forces. With shipments totaling up to $400 million in the last five years, the Ugandans are making more than just pocket change.

On the other end, the Somalians are getting their money from charitable aid groups, charging $10,000 for a group to enter the country, $10,000 to officially register, and $6,000 every six months. In addition the terrorists receive a 20 percent tax on all distributed goods and a 10 percent tax on all vehicles brought into the country.

To make sure the stream of arms and money keeps flowing -- our Ugandan allies are burning through an extreme amount of ordnance -- essentially creating a conflict that could go on forever.

The U.N. found that 90 percent of all the rounds fired during a Mogadishu firefight in April 2010 were from a U.S. shipment.