My grandfather was enlisted to join and fight for the British in Burma, (present day Myanmar), that from 1941 to 1945. The only thing he brought home was useless medal, traumatizing stories especially how he sneaked a Burmese mistress to the return ship. The Burmese woman died during the voyage since he forgot to feed her in the ship-store where she had been stowed.
The Burma war had close to a million African fighters with over 100,000 from East Africa. In 1944, SS Khedive Ismail ship ferrying African soldiers was torpedoed killing crushing over 900 of them. Many more were killed in combat, severe conditions, including monsoon rains, disease, and difficult terrain. Thousands of others were injured. A discriminatory compensation program had some not paid at all. African soldiers (Tirailleurs Sénégalais) serving for France also faced severe, sometimes fatal, repercussions for demanding their pay, most notably during the 1944 Thiaroye massacre, where hundreds were killed for protesting for their wages.
The above lessons should have been a waking call that Kenyan’s should not get involved in war they did start or had no direct concerns. However, it seems that the Europeans prefer the hardy African soldiers who can withstand tough battle conditions- harsh weather, diseases and injuries. Reminds me of General José Gervasio Artigas who in 1820 enlisted 250 descendants of the Kamba community as soldiers due to their spectacular martial arts skills, archery precision and hardy bodies. They too, gained nothing and even lost the land they had been allocated and rely on their ‘’wathi wa mukamba’’ dances and performance fee to survive and highlight their two centuries plight.
The Kamba-Cua, descedants of the Kamba people from Kenya performing (Photo-Quzini)
Kenyans are still reeling in shock after a 33-year-old Festus Arasa Omwamba was recently exposed for recruiting over 1,000 Kenyans to go and fight for Russia in Ukraine. This is more shocking since mainstream and social media is awash with stories of how Kenyans including retired soldiers and youth are being injured or killed in the war. The allure of between Kenya shillings 900,000 to 1.2m signing bonus is said to be tempting for many economically depressed Kenyans despite the risks.
In another shocking revelation, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has accused Russia of using deception to recruit more than 1,780 Africans to join its war effort. The African soldiers hail from 36 countries and are part of a trend that Sybiha said is “crucial to counter” Ukraine’s military on the front lines. Although Russia has denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in its armed forces there are reports that citizens from 36 African countries including South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe are lured into Russia with promises of jobs but ending up on Ukrainian battlefields. The poorly trained lads are said to be being wiped by drone-fired missiles.
The driving force by the Africans is said to be abject poverty, which is blinding many from seeing the dangers of the war. While the allure for the money is strong, many overlook the challenges of harsh freezing weather, unfamiliar terrains, language barrier and sly people may craft contracts. This is compounded by the fact that international war is complex and requires proper and rigorously trained personnel, in their right frame of mind and psychological preparedness, which they lack.
Paul Kelemba’s Illustration on the sly recruitment process for African Fighters in the Russia-Ukraine War (Source: The Standard)
It is very disheartening to learn that some of the recruits had signed for very different undertakings- drivers, homecare givers, factory workers and other related jobs. However, upon arrival in their promised destinations, they are re-routed to the battlefields.
Those uncanny machinations and scamming promises are nothing short of slavery especially when in the battle fields, the Africans are assigned to the frontlines despite their scanty or no military skills. They are also assigned other dirty and dangerous jobs in the war, which greatly jeopardizes their health and lives.
The 36 countries, which have been said to be having their citizens involved in the Russia-Ukraine war, must move fast and have them saved from the life-threatening engagements. The African Union (AU) must work will the affected countries and ensure that their subjects return home.
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