Why Eritrea delayed sending back Somali soldiers it trained?

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The government of Eritrea delayed releasing Somali soldiers training in the country due to the politics of the day in the Horn of Africa nation, which was at find going through turbulent moments following conflict between the administration of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and the opposition.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the opposition leader at that time and now the president, had mobilized several anti-government leaders to push for the repatriation of the soldiers to the country after their families complained of being left out of the equilibrium with the state going mum about the matter.

In America on Friday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud vindicated Eritrea, saying Isaias Afwerki, the president of Eritrea, studied the mood in the country and decided to delay the repatriation of the more than 5000 soldiers who have been training in the country since 2019.

He said Eritrea had “good intentions” in training Somali forces. At the time pressure was being put on Eritrea, the opposition claimed the troops were being trained to help Farmajo rig elections after his attempt to extend his term flopped due to the divided military in Somalia.

At Eritrea, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud added, that the over 5000 soldiers are not only undergoing rigorous training but also, they are being equipped with a move that will help the country effectively fight Al-Shabaab terrorists. Eritrea has lately been working closely with Somalia on counterterrorism.

Presently, the Somali government is working on the ways and means of bringing back troops trained in Eritrea; have requested the US to support Somalia and soon we’ll bring them back and I’m sure they will contribute to the war against Al-Shabaab. The US has pledged to help in the repatriation process.

After winning the presidential elections, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited the troops in various camps within Eritrea in the company of Isaias Afwerki. The president did assure families that they will be connected with the soldiers soon and even went on to place phone calls to their parents.

So clandestine was the exercise done in 2019 under the supervision of former spy chief Fahad Yasin that the country was clueless about the process. It took the investigations of Garowe Online to unearth the activity following a tip-off from senior government officials who had serious concerns.

Initially, the soldiers were lied to that they were to train in Qatar only to find themselves in Asmara. A report from the United Nations Special Rapporteur in Eritrea established that the troops were used in executing a massacre within the Tigray region of Ethiopia, a claim both governments have denied.

Eritrea is accused of sending troops to Ethiopia where thousands of people have been killed for the last two years. Last week, the Tigray People's Liberation Front demanded that the Eritrean troops vacate from Tigray before Mekelle joins peace talks with the Ethiopian administration under Abiy Ahmed.

GAROWE ONLINE