Ethiopian troops serving under the umbrella of AMISOM and their Djiboutian counter-part are on a collision course after the latter demanded that the Ethiopian to declare their agendas in the country. The fall-out emerged after the Ethiopian troops pulled out of the town of Halgan in Hiiran region without an order from the AMISOM commanders.
Colonel Abdirahman Abdi Dimbil who is in charge of Sector Four, said he was wary of Ethiopian troops in Hiiran region that conduct their operations independently from AMISOM mandates. He noted that the forces were receiving orders from Addis Ababa instead of AMISOM commanders.
“Ethiopians forces are not in the country to help Somalia regain peace and security, but have undisclosed agenda,” he alleged.
There was no immediate response from the Ethiopian forces in Somalia although they are serving in the country as part of African union coalition forces—AMISOM.
Colonel Dimbil said he was irked by the decision by the Ethiopians to withdraw from the town of Halgan that was liberated from the militant group Al Shabab early this month.
“They refused to stay in the town instead opting to leave it,” he said while speaking to VOA Somali. He called on the federal government to establish the reason behind their sudden withdrawal.
“Djibouti forces in the country will reconsider their joint operation with Ethiopians because we are not going the same direction,” he added.
The withdrawal come a day after the Somali national army and Ethiopian troops were ambushed by Al Shabab along the road links Halgan and Garasyani areas. No one was killed or injured in the ambush.