Somalia dismisses claims its troops fought in Tigray as ‘rumors’
President Hasan sheikh Mohamoud greeting soldiers in Eritrea
Around 5,000 Somali soldiers receiving training in Eritrea since 2019 have long been accused of taking part in Tigray war on the side of Ethiopian government
Somalia has rebuffed claims that its troops in Eritrea have taken part in the Tigray war between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government as “rumors”.
“Those reports are just rumors,”
Abdikarim Ali Kaar, the spokesperson of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told reporters on Tuesday when quizzed on whether the Somali trainees fought in Ethiopia’s war against the TPLF.
Kaar said the “missing” soldiers will soon be returned to the country “to carry out the duties they were trained for.”
His denial comes after newly elected Mohamud met with the soldiers in Eritrea during a visit to the country last week at the invitation of his counterpart Isaias Afwerki.
A United Nations report in June 2021 alleged that the Somali troops receiving training in Eritrea fought the Tigray rebels alongside the Ethiopian troops triggering demonstrations by the families of the soldiers in Mogadishu.
