Security

Over 200 Somali Soldiers Held in Ethiopia Return Home

AI SUMMARY

Over 200 Somali soldiers who were detained in Ethiopia after crossing the border have been released and returned to Somalia.

More than 200 Somali soldiers, who were reportedly detained in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, returned to Somalia on Sunday.
The soldiers belong to Somalia's South West State and returned to the Elberde district.
Elberde district administrator Abdirahman Keire stated the troops were detained for over a month, while a regional TV station reported a three-month detention.
The soldiers had completed military training in central Somalia's Galgaduud region and had permission to visit their families.
Somali National Security Advisor Awais Haji Yusuf previously confirmed the troops crossed into Ethiopia to visit families with the government's knowledge.
The troops were intercepted in the Somali Region, taken to Jigjiga, and transferred to Dire Dawa due to suspicions and false information regarding ONLF training.
Somali Region security officials at the handover ceremony stated that 220 soldiers were returned, including 17 women.
All soldiers returned except for one female soldier who remained in Jigjiga after giving birth.
Neither the Ethiopian federal government nor the Somali Regional State government has issued an official comment on the incident.