MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopia’s security agencies have begun interrogating dozens of Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers who crossed into Ethiopian territory after completing training in Somalia’s Galmudug region, according to reports by regional media.
Around 80 soldiers crossed into Ethiopia’s Somali region following the training, which was funded by Saudi Arabia and saw roughly 3,000 SNA members graduate at once. The soldiers have since been taken to Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali region.
Most of the soldiers are reported to have come from Somalia’s Bakol region and were on their way to their original homes at the time.
The soldiers were reportedly on authorized leave, as confirmed by Somalia’s National Security Advisor Aways Hajji Yusuf, and had chosen to take a long detour through Ethiopian territory for security reasons, in order to avoid possible attacks by Al-Shabaab. The militant group controls major roads connecting Somalia’s Hiran and Bakol regions along the border with Ethiopia.
The soldiers were recruited from El Barde in Bakol region and nearby villages, and mostly belong to the Ogaden clan.
Latest reports indicate that both Ethiopia’s Somali region and the federal government in Addis Ababa were fully aware of the arrangement. It is not clear, however, why the soldiers have been taken to Jigjiga for interrogation.
There has been no announcement from Ethiopia, the Somali region, or the Somali federal government about the current location of the troops or the wider circumstances surrounding the case.
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