On Wednesday (Dec. 21), Somalia’s defence minister announced the return of the first batch of 5,000 Somali troops sent to train in Eritrea. The training of the soldiers was due to end last year but their return was delayed by former president Farmajo. "The first batch of Somali soldiers trained in Eritrea have returned to the country and the remaining will come back in the coming days. Those trained soldiers will be part of the fight against the al-Shabaab," he added. The UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, in June last year referred to "reports that Somali soldiers were moved from military training camps in Eritrea to the frontline in Tigray, where they accompanied Eritrean troops" supporting Ethiopian federal forces against rebels.

Source: Ethiopian News December 21, 2022 21:40 UTC