Thousands of soldiers from Ethiopia have crossed the border from Somalia, who have reportedly set up military bases in Dollow and other areas of Gedo region.
This force, whose actual numbers have not yet been revealed, has been pouring into Gedo region since last month, and it is being reported that they are independent of the African Union’s ATMIS peacekeeping operation.
The spokesman of the Gedo region, Ali Jubba, while speaking to the media, said that tens of thousands of soldiers from Ethiopia have arrived in the Gedo region, who will be part of the second phase of operations that will soon begin in the country.
Spokesman Ali Jubba mentioned that the Ethiopian government is one of the frontline countries, whose leaders recently held a meeting in Mogadishu to discuss the security of the region and the fight against Al Shabaab.
The spokesman said in a loud voice that there are no districts in Gedo region that are currently under the control of Al Shabaab, and he announced that the Ethiopian Army will join the operation to remove Al Shabaab from Middle Juba.
On the other hand, the speaker said in a loud voice that this army came to the country at the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, and he added that Ethiopian troops crossed the border from Bakool and Hiraan regions.
Continuing his speech, the Speaker underlined that the purpose of this army to come to Somalia is to support the Federal Government in order to defeat Al Shabaab.
In January of this year, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, his counterparts in Kenya and Djibouti as well as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia held a meeting in Mogadishu.
President Hassan Sheikh spoke to the visiting leaders on how to join the fight against Al Shabaab in the south and central part of Somalia.
The heads of the governments of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia have promised President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that they will fight on the side of the National Army to turn Al Shabaab together.
In any case, some regions of the country are aware of the preparations for the second phase of operations, and it is worth noting that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently visited Adan Yabal District in the Central Region, where he announced that they have begun. operations in the second phase, although the regions of Sh. Dheke, Hiraan and Galgaduud recently took place in attacks claimed by the Al Shabaab organization, which killed soldiers who were members of the Somali National Army.
