Somalia: the repatriation of soldiers trained in Eritrea has begun
Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur speaks during a news conference in Mogadishu on December 21, 2022 after the arrival of the first group of Somali soldiers trained in Eritrea.
AFP - HASSAN ALI ELMI
Text by: RFI Follow
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It was a campaign promise of the new Somali President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud and one of his hobbyhorses since taking office last May: a first contingent of the 5,000 Somali soldiers barracked in Eritrea returned to the country on Wednesday December 21 , announced the Somali Ministry of Defense.
They had been secretly sent "
to train
" in 2019 by the former Somali government and their uncertain fate had been at the heart of controversy during the mandate of former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed known as "Farmajo".
But nothing is yet clear about them and in particular the conditions of their return.
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It is unclear how many were on the flight from Asmara on Wednesday.
A witness affirms that as soon as they arrived, they were quartered in a closed zone of the airport.
The Somali president has repeated several times that they will now be dispatched to the front line in the fight against the Shebab jihadists.
According to the government, all should be back “in the next few days”.
Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud had to visit very secretive Eritrea twice to get there.
In July, he visited with television cameras the training base of his soldiers near the Missilam dam, south of Asmara, and a naval base near Massawa.
On his return, to the families of the soldiers, worried and without news, he had only been able to bring back promises and the assurance that he had bought them credit so that they could telephone.
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See also Somalia: President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud visited soldiers deployed in Eritrea
We do not know anything about the political conditions of their return.
A "Protocol of Agreement", including a "defence and security" line was signed between the two countries in July, but without further details.
"
One can imagine that one of Somalia's fears relates to their degree of loyalty
", explains a good connoisseur of the Eritrean regime.
Eritrea is indeed "used to supporting and using politico-military actors in its neighbours", explains this source, whether regular forces or rebel movements.
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Somalia
Eritrea
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Defense