Ethiopian Weapons “End Up in Al-shabaab’s hands” in Somalia

[Deeq A.]

The Federal Government of Somalia no longer sees Ethiopian troops as a peacekeeping force.

Mogadishu (PP News Desk) — The Federal Government of Somalia is considering lodging a complaint against Ethiopia over arms supplies that ended up in the hands of Al-Shabaab in different parts of Somalia. Several former senior Al-Shabaab officers who defected to the Somali government have detailed how the proscribed group acquired arms belonging to the Ethiopian Defence Forces contingents based in southern regions of Somalia.

“Defected former Al-Shabaab operatives disclosed that the group has an unpublicised deal with Ethiopia, which sees Al-Shabaab as a strategic presence that deepens Somalia’s dependency on Ethiopian troops,” said a security analyst briefed by a senior officer at the Office of National Security at the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, is planning to share with diplomats of USA, UK, and the EU the audio files and transcripts of interviews with former Al-Shabaab senior officers.

The allegations about Ethiopian collusion with Al-Shabaab reinforce a recent statement made by the United States that the maritime Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and the secessionist Somaliland administration undermines counterterrorism operations against Al-Shabaab.

The Federal Government of Somalia no longer sees Ethiopian troops as a peacekeeping force but is reluctant to go public with its perception. “The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, is planning to share with diplomats of USA, UK, and the EU the audio files and transcripts of interviews with former Al-Shabaab senior officers who shared what the Federal Government of Somalia views as a “destabilisation agenda of the Ethiopian government against the Federal Republic of Somalia.”

© Puntland Post, 2024

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