[ad_1]
* Sources say weapons were removed from 200-300 Tigray soldiers
* No immediate comment from the African Union and the Ethiopian government.
* Disarmament hinders peacekeeping in Somalia: sources
By Katharine Houreld
NAIROBI, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Ethiopian peacekeepers in Somalia disarmed between 200 and 300 of their ethnic Tigrayan colleagues over the past week as conflict rages in Ethiopia’s northern region, four diplomatic sources and four told Reuters. of security.
The soldiers’ weapons were withdrawn due to concerns about their loyalty, the sources said, without detailing the process. They said they included bilateral and African Union troops.
The Ethiopian government, a military spokesman and the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force did not respond to calls and messages for comment. An Ethiopian government task force denied on Wednesday that authorities were targeting the Tigraya ethnic group in any way.
Ethiopian troops began fighting forces in the northern Tigray region earlier this month after what the government described as a surprise attack by Tigray forces on their colleagues stationed there.
Two diplomatic sources said the unarmed men were believed to be confined to their bases in Somalia and a security source said a deputy commander from one of the military sectors was among the unarmed.
Disarmament is a major headache for the peacekeeping force as it tries to plan operations, the security source said.
“What do you do when you are a force commander and you find that you have 200 or 300 soldiers who cannot go into battle due to their ethnic origin?” I ask.
Disarmament weakens the ability of the AU force to fight the Al Shabaab insurgency linked to Al Qaeda as Somalia prepares for parliamentary elections next month and presidential elections in February. US President Donald Trump is also considering withdrawing hundreds of US troops before January.
Ethiopia, which shares a long and porous border with Somalia, contributes around 4,000 of the 17,000 AU troops, and has around 15,000 additional troops in Somalia on a bilateral basis – that is, more than any other nation.
Ethiopia had also withdrawn a small number of troops stationed in Somalia bilaterally, three sources told Reuters, but had decided not to carry out large-scale withdrawals.
It was unclear whether the retired soldiers were Tigrayan or other troops destined for possible redeployment on the government side in Tigray.
Earlier this month, the African Union fired its head of security Gebreegziabher Mebratu Melese, a Tigrayan, after the Ethiopian Defense Ministry raised concerns about him.
US troops already withdrew from two bases in Somalia last month and Trump is considering withdrawing most of the rest.
Many of the approximately 700 US forces in Somalia train and support Danab, the Somali special forces trained to hunt down and kill senior leaders in the Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab insurgency.
Al Shabaab has carried out deadly attacks on civilians throughout the East African region, including an attack on a US military base in Kenya that killed three Americans earlier this year. Danab, which currently has about 850 troops but is expected to increase to about 3,000, is Somalia’s most effective fighting force. (Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
