Jigjiga (AX) — Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State has acknowledged for the first time that troops trained by Somalia’s federal government crossed into Ethiopia and are now being processed under formal bilateral arrangements.
Somali Region security chief Abdulkadir Rashid Duale said Monday that the soldiers recently reached Jigjiga after crossing the Somalia-Ethiopia border.
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He said the troops arrived in separate groups and are waiting for protocols and agreements between the two governments to be finalized.
Duale said the soldiers did not enter Ethiopia with a clearly established mission, but officials are working to resolve the issue in line with the laws and procedures of both Somalia and Ethiopia.
“The matter is being handled by legal and diplomatic bodies from both Somalia and Ethiopia, who are working toward a formal resolution,” Duale said.
He said authorities would release verified information about the situation and cautioned the public against circulating unconfirmed reports that could create confusion.
Available information indicates that the troops, who had been stationed in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State, have since been transferred to Dire Dawa.
Somali and Ethiopian leaders have reportedly discussed the soldiers’ status, including the possibility of returning them to Somalia by air.
The troops were among thousands of recruits trained this year in Somalia’s Galgaduud region. Somalia’s federal government had said the forces were being prepared to fight al-Shabab.
Following the training, hundreds of the soldiers reportedly entered Ethiopia, allegedly carrying weapons supplied by the Somali government.
