Somalia: Farmajo blamed for deployment of Somali soldiers in Tigray
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MOGADISHU, Somalia – Hours after a report by the UN special rapporteur on the violation of human rights by Eritrean troops leaked, outgoing Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was accused of authorizing the deployment of trainee soldiers in the Tigray region, which has given rise to current concern.
In the report, the rapporteur confessed to information about the participation of Somali soldiers training in Eritrea in the Tigray War, where most of them could have died according to multiple correspondence. The exact number of soldiers is not yet known.
And Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, the leader of the Wadajir party, led the criticism by accusing Farmajo of sanctioning the deployment he called “illegal.” The opposition leader urged Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to meet the parents of the young soldiers and make appropriate reports to them.
Abdishakur also called on Farmajo to acknowledge that troops sent to Eritrea were used in atrocities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The government has consistently denied these allegations despite evidence provided in February of this year.
In the Twitter Space debate led by Axadleon Tuesday, a number of guests made holes in the recruitment process while others criticized President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo for “engaging in clandestine transactions” in detriment of poor young people.
Two former National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] The agents also put Farmajo and current NISA boss Fahad Yasin to the test, accusing them of being the architects of the training in Eritrea which was held in secret according to security experts.
“The public must speak out and put pressure on outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and NISA boss Fahad Yasin to clarify the whereabouts of the missing soldiers. This is a national problem and people must be held accountable, ”said Abdullahi Ali, former director of NISA.
“Parents who contacted me told me that they would organize protests in Mogadishu this week and asked for support in solidarity with them. They want their boys back,” added Abdisalam Guled, who worked as deputy director of the NISA.
Abshir Ahmed, who has criticized President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, said he would take to the streets of Mogadishu in solidarity with parents. He urged other politicians to do so in the interest of “saving” hundreds of young people training in Eritrea.
A few weeks ago, parents also turned out in large numbers to ask for answers from the government, but they were dispersed by security guards. Thousands of young people are said to be training in Eritrea without their parents knowing.
“I ask that this case be brought before the International Court so that such a problem does not happen again. Anyone involved in the recruitment of our youth and the engagement in the Tigray War should be indicted before the International Court”, said Mursal Khalif, the planning minister of Jubaland.
Excerpts from the report in Garowe Online’s possession indicate that the UN found concrete evidence of Somali soldiers engaged in the Tigray War, noting that they were followed by those in Eritrea, whose presence in Tigray sparked attacks. international reprisals against Addis Ababa and Asmara.
Although the report does not give the exact number of Somali soldiers operating in Tigray, it does indicate that they were moved from military camps and crossed into Tigray. In addition, the report notes, troops were present during the Aksum genocide which left hundreds dead.
The city of Aksum is considered a sacred shrine in northern Tigray in Ethiopia. Multiple reports published by various rights groups and international media revealed massacres that targeted worshipers in the city in November last year, mostly innocent children and women.
“The Special Rapporteur has also received information and reports that Somali troops have been moved from military training camps in Eritrea to the front line in Tigray where they accompanied Eritrean troops as they crossed the Ethiopian border. . Somali soldiers were also reported to be around Aksum, ”part of the report read.
The massacre lasted three weeks and it was at this point that information leaked about the presence of Somali and Eritrean soldiers in Tigray. Ethiopia initially denied reports to admit the presence of Eritrean troops, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised to withdraw, but has yet to keep his promise.
Outside of Aksum, the soldiers were seen in Mekele, the regional administrative capital of the Tigray region which would be captured months later. In Somalia, the parents of the soldiers have thronged the streets to ask where they are, but the government has assured them of their safety.
A few weeks ago, the parents returned to the streets of Mogadishu to ask for the training to take place in Eritrea but were dispersed by the security forces. Conflicting reports indicate that hundreds of Somali soldiers may have died during the war while others claim only two died during training.
Although the Somali government denies this information, the UN report acknowledges the efforts of the parliamentary foreign affairs and defense committees which have reportedly recommended that President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo send a fact-finding mission to Eritrea on the matter.
“The Special Rapporteur has been informed that the parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committees have informed the head of state to send a fact-finding mission to Asmara for an investigation,” notes the report, which will be published in the coming weeks.
AXADLETM
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