Ethiopia: Somalia hasn’t dropped a formal ‘yoink’ on ENDF pullout
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia insists Somalia hasn’t officially requested the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) to skedaddle, amidst growing friction over a January treaty.
ENDF, key players in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), face ejection demands from Somalia, who accuses Ethiopia of scheming an annexation. Meanwhile, Ethiopia inked a pact with North Western of Somalia for Red Sea access.
Nebiyu Tedla, mouthpiece of the ministry, rebuffed claims from Somalia’s National Security Advisor about imminent Ethiopian troop withdrawals. He emphasized the lack of a formal communique.
“No formal diplomatic word from Somalia on this,” Tedla remarked. He also noted that chats on replacing the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) haven’t started, and ATMIS’s initial phase is ongoing.
Nearly 6,000 Ethiopian troops are currently stationed in Somalia, credited with maintaining stability in parts of Jubaland and Southwest. With ATMIS’s mandate expiring in December 2024, there’s chatter about extensions. Nevertheless, Somalia asserts Ethiopia shouldn’t stick around.
Somalia accused Ethiopia of sneaky strategies, citing a pact with North Western of Somalia aiming for the region’s independence. The deal sparked public outrage.
In retaliation, Somalia gave Ethiopia’s ambassador the boot and shut Addis Ababa’s consulates in North Western of Somalia and Northeastern State states. Mogadishu denounced Addis Ababa for ‘bad manners’ and demanded harsh rebukes from global partners.
Hussein Sheikh Ali, Somalia’s National Security Advisor, claimed Ethiopia’s behavior disqualifies it as a regional peace buddy. He confirmed fresh troops from Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi would supplant ATMIS by December 2024, excluding Ethiopia from the new lineup.
However, officials from Southwest and Jubaland did a 180, opposing Ethiopian troop withdrawal while hailing the soldiers’ contributions to Somalia’s stability mission.
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