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Mogadishu (AFP)
Somalia is under increasing pressure to explain the fate of soldiers whose families fear they have been secretly sent from training camps in neighboring Eritrea to fight in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.
The government has strenuously denied allegations that Somali troops were sent to the Tigray battlefields, where Ethiopian federal troops have been fighting with regional forces since November.
But some lawmakers have written to the Somali president asking for information on behalf of desperate parents who say their uniformed children have disappeared and have reason to believe they might be in Tigray.
Hussein Ibrahim said his son was told that he would go to Qatar to train, but that he ended up in Eritrea.
“I last spoke with my son 22 days ago. He told me that he was fine but worried, because some of his companions were relocated from the camp and he did not know where,” she said.
“I don’t know who to ask about their fate. There are reports everywhere that those brought to Eritrea were sent to fight in Ethiopia and that some had died.”
Information Minister Osman Abukar Dubbe said on January 19 that “there were no Somali troops fighting in Tigray, and the Ethiopian government made no such request,” describing the reports to the contrary as “propaganda.”
– ‘Alive or not’? –
But the whereabouts of the missing soldiers remain unclear, and the plight of their families has struck a chord in Somalia and raised tough questions for politicians preparing for a tense national election that had been scheduled for next month. but they are plagued with delays.
“We need the Somali president to listen to our appeal and tell us whether our children are alive or not,” said Fadumo Moalim Abdulle, who believes his son was sent to Eritrea after being told he was going to Qatar.
In a January 18 letter, the foreign relations commission asked President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, “for details on the number of soldiers in Eritrea for training and when they will return to the country.”
“We also understand that many parents have not been able to contact their children for some time, only to learn that they were killed in Tigray fighting with government forces,” the letter read.
“Confirm where these soldiers are now and put them in touch with their parents.”
A military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that some recruits were sent to Eritrea for training “but these reports of Somali soldiers sent to Tigray are unfounded.”
But Abdisalam Guleid, a former Somali deputy spy chief, told AFP that “Somalia had indeed entered the war and that many soldiers had died,” citing intelligence from his Ethiopian counterparts.
– ‘Silence’ –
After three weeks of fighting, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory in late November against the TPLF, the ruling party in Tigray, after the army captured the regional capital, Mekele.
But the TPLF leadership continues to flee and has vowed to keep fighting. Thousands have so far died in the conflict, according to the International Crisis Group.
The fighting has raised concerns about stability in the Horn of Africa, with fears that Ethiopia’s neighbors could be drawn into regional conflict.
Ethiopia last week denied the presence of Somali troops in Tigray and continued to dismiss eyewitness accounts of Eritrea’s involvement in the conflict.
“Ethiopia has never invited any of the neighboring countries or others to take part in this conflict. This is an internal matter; the Ethiopian army has done it itself,” said Dina Mufti, a spokeswoman for the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. .
In December, the US State Department said it was “aware of credible reports about Eritrea’s military involvement in Tigray” and called for its withdrawal. This month, the state-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission accused Eritrean troops of looting Tigray.
Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 in large part for initiating a rapprochement with Eritrea, whose President Isaias Afwerki and the TPLF remain staunch enemies.
Abiy also forged a three-way regional security agreement with Eritrea and Somalia.
Analysts say it is plausible that a small number of Eritrea-trained Somalis were sent to Tigray, given Eritrea’s long history of using regional forces under its wing for its own strategic gain.
“What is clear is that the troops have gone to Eritrea. Some have returned. But the government has never given details about these troops, not even their number or the fact that there are cohorts,” said a regional security analyst, who asked not to. be named.
“Everything is silence, silence.”
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© 2021 AFP
